


Life Is No Cabaret

by AngelWithAStory



Series: Author’s Favourites [15]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asexuality, Awkward Flirting, Baking, Bisexuality, Drabble Collection, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, One Shot Collection, Team as Family, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2018-07-16 16:53:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 45,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7276168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelWithAStory/pseuds/AngelWithAStory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Vax glanced up from where he was crouched and saw his white-haired neighbour watching him with a smile on her face. He could understand why she was so amused. But, really, the image of Vax picking his own lock should have been more commonplace by now.</i>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A collection of one shots following a modern Vox Machina</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unpleasant Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> so I figured the best way to get a grip on these characters was to write them in a completely different setting where they would behave differently to canon
> 
> Smart idea right?
> 
> Title from Sing by The Dresden Dolls bc it's in Matt Mercer's playlist for the world of Vox Machina and because I just really like that line
> 
> (warning for this first chapter: casual transphobia shown in a negative light)

“Hey, Vax!”

Vax glanced up from where he was crouched and saw his white-haired neighbour watching him with a smile on her face. He could understand why she was so amused. But, really, the image of Vax picking his own lock should have been more commonplace by now.

“Oh, hey Pike.” Vax said, standing up and working out the small cramp in his leg. He brushed a lock of his hair back over his shoulder out of habit.

“Lock yourself out again?” Pike asked, pausing in unlocking her own door. She was dressed in a particular way that made Vax realise that she’d just come back from her Church. He wondered distantly what she’d prayed about.

“You know, I swear Grog steals my keys when we leave for work.” Vax said, pointing at the door Pike was stood at with one of his lock picking tools. Pike gave him a look that was very fond but very clearly conveyed begrudging amusement.

“Well you can hang out in here until Vex gets home.” Pike said, opening up her own door and stepping through. Vax looked down at his lock picking tools and back up at the, now, open door. He tucked the tools into his back pocket and collected his messenger bag from the floor. Fuck it. Pike usually had home baked cookies, anyway.

Vax shut the door behind him and dropped his bag by the kitchen door. They’d been neighbours for long enough that when Vax followed Pike into the small kitchen, she was already pulling out two beers for them and popping the caps off.

“Here you go.” She said brightly, holding out one of the bottles to Vax. “I was making some cookies earlier, you can have one of the not-so-good ones if you want.” Pike said, pushing a plate towards Vax over the kitchen counter.

These cookies looked a little singed around the edges or too thick or just a few shades too pale. To Pike, these cookies were not deserving of whoever they were to be gifted to (usually, her church or the local youth centre), but to her friends, sometimes those cookies were the best things that happened that day.

Vax took one of the cookies and took a bite of it. It tasted of honey with a nice kick of cinnamon. It felt comforting and Vax could practically see the looks on the children’s faces when Pike donated the box of the nicely decorated cookies.

“Good?” Pike asked, taking a cookie for herself.

“Holy shit, Pike.” Vax said, covering his mouth with the back of his cookie-holding hand. “I’m stealing the rest of these.” He added, jokingly pulling the plate towards him. Pike laughed as she walked out of the kitchen to the living room, but didn’t noticed Vax grabbing a piece of kitchen roll and sneaking another cookie into his bag as he passed.

Pike was sat on the slightly shabby sofa, flicking through a few of the channels. Vax jumped over the back of the sofa, landing with a slight _thump_ next to Pike, who had a smile on her face but didn’t otherwise react. She put on some detective show and they both settled down to watch it for a little while, swapping idle comments every so often.

Just as the episode rounded out, there was a short knock at the door. Pike immediately pulled herself up from the sofa and Vax heard her light footsteps down the hallway. He reached forwards and grabbed the remote, turning down the volume slightly so he could hear what was happening.

He heard Pike’s voice and a deep voice that took him no time to place. A rock settled in his stomach out of fear. He stood up, his feet carrying him to the front door on automatic pilot.

A familiar man stood in the doorway, obviously annoyed at something. The first thing Vax noticed was Pike’s defensive stance. She was a good foot and a half shorter than the man at the door, but she seemed to fill the doorway almost protectively.

The man’s eyes snapped up and his face became a mask as he saw Vax. Pike glanced over her shoulder and shifted so she was stood directly in front of him.

“Danielle. There you are. I assume I was given the wrong add-”

“What do you want, Father?” Vax interrupted. He saw Pike’s shoulders square when the name ‘ _Danielle_ ’ was spoken, and he felt grateful that the name bothered her as much as it bothered him.

“Where is Talia?” His father said, looking over Vax’s head into the apartment.

“Not here.” Pike answered, her voice hard. Vax’s father glanced down at her and Vax felt a sense of pride swell in his chest.

“Well, your step-mother’s and my anniversary is at the end of this month. She wants you there, so we can try to… reconnect as a family. She thinks it’s important for you and Talia to be part of your sister’s life.” Vax’s father said, the pauses showing that the words were not his own.

“I’m pretty sure to ‘ _reconnect_ ’, you have to be connected in the first place.” Vax said. “I don’t care what your _wife_ wants; neither me, nor Vex, want anything to do with you any more.”

“Danielle-”

“Danielle’s _dead_!” Vax almost shouted, his pent up anger getting the most of him in that moment. He felt tears prick the back of his eyes but forced them down. “Talia and Danielle are long gone, Father. We want nothing to do you with. Please leave us alone.”

“Oi, Pike. What’s he doing here?” A deep, gruff voice asked. Vax looked up and saw the six-foot-something, muscular form of Pike’s roommate standing behind his father. A thick accent twisted the words and betrayed his upbringing.

“He was just leaving.” Pike said, her frown still pronounced on her face when she looked at Vax’s father. It faded instantly when she looked at Grog, but returned the moment her eyes wondered.

“Not until I talk to my children.” Vax’s father said, returning the frown. Grog wasn’t a fan of this, in all honesty.

“Oh. Is he bothering you?” Grog asked. His form almost dwarfed Vax’s father and it was evident that he was not happy about this fact.

“Yes. He is.” Vax said bluntly, turning and walking back into the apartment.  

“Okay.” Grog said, giving a small nod to Pike. He tapped Vax’s father on the shoulder (harshly) and puffed out his chest just a little bit, clearing his throat. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“Danielle, I’ll give you a week to change your mind.” Vax’s father said into the apartment before he turned away. “Afternoon, Gregory. Page. Pleasure seeing you both again.” He said with a final nod towards the other two and disappeared.

“Pike, who’s Danielle? Does he mean Vax?” Grog asked, stepping into the apartment and closing the door behind him. He had to duck slightly to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe and made a beeline for the kitchen, automatically grabbing one of the rejected cookies from the plate.

“Yes, Grog. Vax’s dad was just confused.” Pike said, sitting next to Vax on the sofa and pulling him into a one-armed hug. Grog nodded slowly, only half understanding, but knowing that from Vax’s reaction that he shouldn’t call him that.

Vax rested his head against her shoulder and accepted the kind gesture. He saw Grog sit down on the big, plush armchair that Pike insisted on keeping. The chair was more suited to someone of Pike-size so the image was almost comical.

He had a rare, concerned look on his face and Vax could only guess what he was thinking.

“You know, Vax.” Grog said after a short while. “I don’t even think he looks like you.”

For some reason, that made Vax smile. It was a lie: the family resemblance practically slapped you in the face. The same bone structure, the same black hair, same toned skin. Both he and his sister suffered from the resemblance.

“Thanks, Grog.” Vax said, regardless. And he meant it.

There was another knock on the door followed by a voice that Vax knew as well as his own.

“ _Vax. Are you in there?”_

Pike pulled away from him and patted Vax on the shoulder, prompting him to answer the door. Vax did so and stood in front of his twin, a small, apologetic smile on his face.

“Hi Vex.” He said.

“Hello, brother. You are aware that we don’t live here?” Vex asked, a hefty bag on her shoulder and a textbook under her arm.

“You’re welcome any time!” Pike shouted from the living room.

“Thank you, Pike!” Vax called back, picking up his bag from where he left it. “Come on, sister. Let’s go.”

“Thank you again, Pike, for keeping an eye on him.” Vex said, waving at Pike and Grog as she lead her brother back to their own apartment.

“No problem, Vex.” Grog said, a half-smile on his face as he shut the door.

The twins were silent for a moment as Vex fished her keys out of her pocket. Before she put the key in the lock, Vax rested his hand on her arm, pausing her movement.

“Did you see him?” Vax asked, his voice low and concerned.

“I saw him leaving as Percy and I arrived.” Vex admitted, dropping her voice as well. She wouldn’t admit the shock of seeing her father walking out of their block of flats and the sudden concern for her brother.

“Did you say anything to him?”

“Are you serious? I dragged us both around the corner and waited for him to leave.” Vex said. The blunt tone of her voice shocked a laugh out of Vax and she smiled. “I’m just glad he didn’t hang around.”

“Me too, sister.”


	2. A Flexible Sense of Humour Needed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel bad for writing the twins all the time so here is Kiki and Percy!

“Now inhale…. And exhale…. Inhale….. _And_ exhale…”

“Thank you, Keyleth, for reminding me.”

“You said you wanted to do this, Percy. Don’t snap at me because you’re getting frustrated.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry.” Percy huffed and tried to put the strain in his muscles out of his mind. He didn’t know _why_ he agreed to this!

Keyleth slowly let out a long breath and righted herself to a standing position, Percy copying her movements and following her lead.

Aa much as he was complaining, Percy had to admit (quietly, when neither Vax nor Scanlan were in earshot) that yoga was actually not as bad as he once thought. Yes, he hated the exertion and he would _really_ rather be tinkering with something or reading some old book from his family’s library. However, doing yoga with Keyleth had a strange _calming_ effect on him that somehow managed to clear his mind enough to where didn’t run himself ragged with his own thoughts.

The atmosphere was quite nice as well. When Keyleth did this on her own, she would usually have put in headphones and tuck herself in her room, but now they set the mats down in the living room, moving the sofas back to create enough room. The radio in the corner filled the room with the sounds of a familiar voice as they moved in near-silence. Scanlan’s voice spoke to some local musician as they talked in a casual interview. Percy usually found himself turning the radio on when their friend was hosting, and he knew that the rest of their friendship group also liked hearing the charismatic former singer in between current chart hits.

There was something about knowing the jovial voice on the radio that was oddly... _nice_.

Percy was used to comforting things being what he’d never expected they’d be. It was one of the things he heartily appreciated about his new family: his entire view of the world had shifted in the best way possible.

It was surprisingly refreshing.

“We’re almost done Percy, you can stop brooding soon.” Keyleth said, throwing a small smile over to her roommate. She sank to her knees on her mat and rested the crown of her head on it. She carefully placed her palms on the mat beside her head, keeping her arms at right angles.

“I’m not brooding.” Percy muttered, taking off his glasses and setting them aside once he recognised what Keyleth was doing. Once they were safe, he dutifully mirrored her movements. He could hear Keyleth’s smile in the silence.

Keyleth raised her hips, straightening her legs. Percy did the same. Keyleth started walking her feet forwards until her back was vertical. Percy followed suit, a bit less gracefully. Keyleth brought her knees up and rested them onto her bent arms. Percy copied, albeit not as stable as his friend.

Keyleth took a few deep breaths and extended her legs towards the ceiling until her body was one straight line. Percy didn’t.

“Come on, Percy! You’ll never get it if you don’t try.” Keyleth said, looking at her friend out of the corner of her eye.

“I’d rather save myself the embarrassment.” Percy said.

“Just _try_ it.” Keyleth continued. She didn’t sound pushy; more like she had enough faith in her friend’s core muscle strength to know that he could be pushing himself a bit more. Percy wished he had his hands free so that he could cover his face.

“Alright. I’ll try it again, Keyleth.” Percy said. Slowly, he forced his legs to straighten above him. He could feel the strain in his muscles and grit his teeth as he tried his absolute hardest to keep his balance.

There was a slight knock at the apartment door and he heard Keyleth move (presumably to drop out of her yoga position). Her footsteps sounded past him and Percy mentally prepared himself to get back to standing without damaging his knees.

He felt a hand against his ankles, holding them steady.

“Good form, Percival. You need to bring your hips forwards just a little bit, though.”

It took every ounce of control to stop Percy from falling over when he recognised that voice.

“Good morning, Vax.” Percy said, his voice dry. “Can you let go of my ankles? I have things I want to do today.”

“You seem busy alright.” Vax said, moving his hand away so Percy could bring his legs down. He seemed bemused by the whole situation and had a shit-eating grin on his face when Percy finally brought himself to his feet.

“Not that I don’t enjoy you randomly being in my home, Vax, but what are you doing here?” Percy asked, drawing himself to his full height. It always amused Percy that Vax was shorter than him. He glanced down to locate his glasses, but Vax was already holding them out for him. Percy slipped the glasses back on and felt his face relax as he no longer had to squint to see.

“Keyleth said that she’d lend me a couple cookbooks.” Vax said, keeping Percy’s gaze. “I will say, Percival, I’m glad you were doing that in your own home. If you were at a gym, I’m sure a fair few women wouldn’t be able to hold their pose.”

“Always a charmer.” Percy said dryly, honestly not sure how to respond to that. He was completely sure if Vax was being overly truthful and he found it a bit hard to believe if the compliments were genuine.

“I’m just saying, Percy, that you don’t give yourself enough credit.” Vax said, the level of genuine honesty in his voice catching Percy off guard. “Someone would be lucky to have you.”

“Thank you, Vax. Honestly, I’m not sure how much I agree with your sentiment but I appreciate it all the same.” Percy said, giving Vax a sincere nod. Vax’s expression suddenly became open and he looked at Percy with an almost sad expression. That caught Percy off guard just a little bit.

“Vax! I’ve got the books!” Keyleth called out, wandering back into the room with a few thick books in her arms. Vax blinked and the expression faded, replaced by his normal, slightly cocky expression.

“Thank you, Kiki.” Vax said, relieving her of the burden. “Well, excuse me but I have some serious baking to attempt.”

As Vax turned to leave, Percy met his eye. Vax winked at him and left before Percy could properly react. If his face wasn’t red from the headstand, it certainly was now. Keyleth either didn’t notice or didn’t bring it up, but she did have a small smirk on her face when she turned back to face Percy.

“Ready to continue?” Keyleth asked.

“Actually, I think I’d like to get some work done before Vex picks me up later, if that’s alright?” Percy said, turning to roll up his yoga mat.

“Oh, okay.” Keyleth said. Suddenly her face brightened and she grabbed Percy’s shoulders, excitement in every fibre of her being. “We should go out tonight! All of us. We should go on a pub-crawl! _Come on_ , we haven’t gone out in _forever!_ ”

“Keyleth, we went out a few days ago.” Percy pointed out, a fond smile on his face as he tucked the mat under his arm.

“Not on a pub-crawl!” Keyleth said. “Look, you’ve been really stressed out recently. We’ve all been pretty stressed out recently. We need some _fun_ in our lives again. I miss when we just got drunk and had _fun_.”

Percy saw the open expression on his friend’s face and felt his own resolve falter. As closed-off as he knew he could be, Keyleth had a way of getting past all his defences.

“If everyone else is up for a pub-crawl, I’m certainly not going to stop the fun.” Percy said, finally relenting. He tried not to smile as Keyleth jumped up in a rare form of ecstasy that she somehow clung to well into her adult-years.

“Yay! I’ll call them now.” Keyleth hurriedly rolled up her own yoga mat and rushed into her room, presumably to get changed or message the others or something else. Percy just smiled and walked towards the shared bathroom.

He caught his own reflection as he stripped down and paused. Percy had never been a ‘ _fit_ ’ person, per say; never as muscular as Grog or as lithe as Vax or even as slim as Scanlan, but Percy had been okay with how he looked. Well, he’d accepted the layer of flab along his stomach and his legs as something that he (sometimes - only sometimes) quite liked. But as he looked over his features, he tried to see what made Vax say what he had.

His eyes could have been considered pretty, he supposed. And his hair was a bit messy in a boyish way, much like when he was younger and before he’d bleached it.

To Percy, he really had no idea what Vax was going on about. But his friends seemed to have good judgement, so he let it go as he turned on the water and placed his glasses on the window sil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> their friendship means so much to me but Vax being flirty is also very important to me. also actual-human-mess Percy de Rolo is important to me with literal-ray-of-sunshine Keyleth. and Chubby Percy. _very_ important


	3. Sarenrae, it's me, Grog - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've had a pretty shit day.
> 
> (If you didn't know by now, I was born and live in Englang. North-East England, to be precise. Born and bred.)  
> This morning I woke up after trying (and failing) to sleep off a headache, and the first thing I saw on the news was that the Leave campaign had won. By 1.9%. Absolute bullshit.  
> I didn't go to school today. So I've had some time to think. And I've had some time to be terrified. Because being 17 and waking up to know that the majority of people who voted Leave were 60+ is absolutely fucking terrifying and really hurtful, actually.  
> My mum told me that she's not afraid for herself, but she's terrified for me and my sisters. My younger sister and I are still in school. I'm applying to Uni later this year. She's just started her GCSEs.  
> This is so fucking scary and I'm M A D.  
> If you're still reading this, sorry it turned into a ramble. I've vented on ny tumblr and twitter all day but when I decided to post this, I want to leave a message with it. 
> 
> If you're old enough, VOTE. Seriously, find a way. Especially if you're American right now, you need to V O T E.  
> We're lucky, in a very odd way: there's still a chance the UK won't leave the EU. This vote was about the public, not what the Government were actually going to do. The EU referendum isn't legally binding, it just shows how divided the country is. 
> 
> So moral of the story: FUCKING VOTE IF YOU CAN. 
> 
> It also explains why this is a bit angsty, but that's besides the point.

**** Four figures ran through the hospital doors, skidding to a stop in front of the receptionist desk. The receptionist looked up at them, slightly bewildered as these four people just run up to the desk, almost crashing into it. 

“Where is she?” Grog blurts out, not really thinking how that would sound to anyone else. The receptionist furrowed her eyebrows at him in confusion. 

“Trickfoot. We’re looking for Page Trickfoot.” Vex stepped in, leaning on the counter. “She might be admitted under  _ Pike _ Trickfoot.” She added. Vex saw the receptionist’s eyes flick to the feathers woven in her long hair for a second before returning to the computer monitor in front of her. 

“Yes. Page Trickfoot was admitted just under an hour ago. She’s in Intensive Care right now, and is about to go into surgery.” The receptionist said. 

“Is there anyway we can see her?” Scanlan asked, just barely reaching over the counter. 

“Not until she’s out of surgery and even then, only immediate family. I’m sorry.” The receptionist said. 

“He’s her brother.” Vax said, pointing unceremoniously to Grog. The receptionist looks at him disbelievingly, as she’d been on duty when Pike had been brought in, and there was obviously no blood shared between them. Vax saw that look and frowned. “This is her brother, Greg. Greg Trickfoot. Pike’s  _ family _ . Jesus, do you want us to go and get the papers-”

“Brother.” Vex interrupted, laying her hand gently on her twin’s arm. 

“I’m sorry. She’s about to go into surgery. You’re welcome to wait and we’ll let you know when she’s out.” The receptionist offered, gesturing to a small crowd of seats off to the side of the reception. Without saying another word, Grog walked over and flopped into one of the seats in the corner. 

Scanlan followed, sitting down with no words said between them. Vax chose instead to walk back out the door, pulling his phone from his pocket as he did so. 

Before she could move, the receptionist gently tapped the desk in front of Vex, drawing her attention. 

“There’s a restaurant two floors up, if you want to get something to eat. And there’s a coffee machine in the corner of the waiting room. I’ll send someone over when Page is out of surgery. It might be a bit touch-and-go for a while, she came in pretty banged up.” She said, her voice gentle now. Vex wondered how many grief-stricken people she saw through the doors each day. 

“Thank you.” Vex said, her voice just as gentle. 

“Also, is he  _ really _ her sister?” The receptionist asked, looking back at Grog. 

“Adopted, yes. They grew up together.” Vex admitted, saying her thanks again before joining the two on the chairs. 

“What did she say to you?” Scanlan asked, leaning slightly towards Vex as she sat down. Vex sighed and tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. 

“She said told me where we can get some food if we’re hungry.” Vex said, looking over. She felt her heart clench when she saw Grog sitting with his head in his hands. They all felt vulnerable, but she could clearly imagine what Grog was going through. 

“Keyleth and Percy are almost here.” Vax said, flopping heavily into the chair next to Vex. He leaned back as far as he could and threw his arm over his face, despairing silently. 

“She’ll be okay, Grog.” Vex said, leaning across Scanlan and resting her hand on Grog’s knee. “You know Pike better than anyone. She can survive  _ anything _ .”

“ _ I know. _ ” Grog whispered back, not removing his face from his palms. 

They sat in silence together, all lost in their thoughts. At some point, Vax stood up and went to the coffee machine, methodically buying one and bringing it back to the group. He left Grog’s on the small table beside his chair. Grog didn’t acknowledge it. 

They didn’t speak until Keyleth and Percy rushed up to them in the waiting room. They looked frightened and nervous, having only been told to meet them at the hospital and that Pike had been in some kind of accident.

“What happened?” Percy half-demanded, stopping in front of the group and taking in the scene.

“Pike was in a car crash.” Grog said, speaking for the first time in ages. “She’s in surgery now.” 

“Oh god.” Keyleth’s hands flew to her mouth and tears began to make her eyes shine.

“Grog, are you alright?” Percy asked, watching as Keyleth knelt in front of Grog and gently took his hand. Grog let Keyleth take his hand and tightened his grip in a rare moment of vulnerability for him. 

“Do we know anything yet?” Percy asked, turning towards the other three. 

“Just that she’s in surgery now. Even when she’s out, it’s family only.” Scanlan said, shaking his head morosely. “Grog’s the only one who could see her.”

“How long have you guys been here?” Percy asked, finally sitting down beside Vex. 

“Just over an hour.” Vex said. “I’m not sure how Grog’s holding up. Vax hasn’t said much and Scanlan’s obviously worried, even if he isn’t showing it.” 

“And you?” 

Vex forced herself to look Percy in the eye. He could see just how tired she looked. What had she been doing when they got the call?  

“I’m coping.” Vex said. “I’ll be okay once we know how Pike is.” 

“Well, I think we all will feel better once she’s out of surgery and stable.” Percy promised. Vex smiled at him and he tried to smile back reassuringly. He tried not to let his own fear show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the rant in the notes ^
> 
> Also, excuse the formatting. I'll fix it tomorrow since I'm posting this from my phone


	4. Sarenrae, it's me, Grog - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 is here :D
> 
> hopefully, much much happier than the first part

Grog steeled himself before he opened the door.

He was alone. Vex had long-since left (reluctantly), needing to take care of Trinket or at least find someone who would be willing to take care of the dog for the night. Scanlan had offered his place, saying that he needed to wake up early for work anyway. It looked like it had pained him to do so, and Grog had no doubts that he would much rather have tried to talk his way into all of them being allowed to sit with Pike.

Percy and Keyleth were down the corridor, talking with the doctor. They were using a lot of long and complicated words that could easily have boiled down to ‘ _she’s lucky to be alive_.

But it wasn't luck. It was faith.

As little as Grog _believed_ , he _knew_. He just knew it.

Pike’s Goddess had heard her. Maybe She’d even heard Grog. A part of him hoped that She had.

Vax’s hand patted Grog’s shoulder in a rare show of comfort. Their relationship was… _rocky_ most of the time - usually after the borderline-harmful pranks that almost never worked out - but when it came down to it, they were just as close as the rest of them. Well, maybe not as close as Keyleth and Percy, or Vex and Vax, or Grog and Pike, or even Grog and Scanlan; but they were close enough to rely on each other if they needed to.

“We’ll be waiting by the reception, if you need us, Big Guy. Alright?” Vax said, appearing by his side without so much of a sound. (Or maybe Grog was just preoccupied).

“Yeah.” Grog said. He could see her through the little window in the door. Could see the machines all hooked up to her. The wires that spilled from her skin.

“Are you going to be alright?” Vax asked, the concern painfully obvious in his voice. Grog just nodded, opening the door before he lost his nerve.

The only sounds were a soft, mechanical beeping from the machines and Pike’s slow breaths that told the world she was still alive. Bandages had been wound around part of her head, almost as white as her hair. Grog remembered one of the doctors talking about scarring, and something about head injuries: he’d tuned out when they started explaining all the technical bits.

A sharp pain jolted through his hand and Grog relaxed his grip just the slightest amount. He forced himself to sit in one of the chairs beside Pike’s hospital bed. She didn't move. Didn't respond at all. Not even when he reached out and took one of her hands in his own.

“Hi, Pike.” Grog said, keeping his voice down in the quiet room.

He was glad that he was the only one in the room, because he didn't want any of the rest of them to hear him like this. _Vulnerable_.

“So, you know how you talk about your God a lot? And how you go to your special Church _all_ the time? Well, when you left this morning after we had our little fight, I- I prayed to Her. Sarenrae, I mean.” Grog felt his throat closing but forced himself on. “I felt _angry,_ and I told her that She wasn't a good God if she let her people suffer. If she let _you_ get hurt. Especially since you’re the kindest and most generous person _on_ the _planet._ But when I got that call from the hospital I- I thought it was _my_ fault. That I’d angered Sarenrae, and that she was taking it out of you.”

A single tear fell down Grog’s cheek but he didn't brush it away. His grip on her hand stayed as gentle as ever, but he felt the pain stab again from his other hand.

“So I prayed again, and begged Sarenrae for forgiveness. Told her I didn't mean any of it - well, I did mean all that stuff about you being so great, but not the stuff about her being a rubbish God. Told her that I’d do anything if you were okay. I'd go with you to Church, volunteer with you, whatever I had to do. As long as you were okay.”

Grog opened his clenched palm and looked down at it. The Holy symbol looked so foreign in his hand. It never belonged to him. Faith didn't belong to Grog Strongjaw-Trickfoot.

But Pike…

Faith belonged to Pike as much as Grog belonged with Pike. She’d chosen them and held them so close to her heart that they couldn't leave even if they wanted to. (Grog never wanted to.)

He lifted the symbol, letting the chain trail down the back of his hand. It was beautiful and delicate and represented so much kindness and warmth. Something like that should stay with the person it fit best.

“Pike, I think She heard me.” Grog said, running his thumb over the Symbol of Sarenrae. “Because I heard all those doctors out there talking about how you should have died, and you're still here. Still breathing.”

He gently detangled his hand from Pike’s and stood up. Grog held the chain open with the fingers of one hand while he gently lifted Pike’s head with the other. Carefully, _carefully_ , he slipped the chain over her head.

The symbol rested over Pike’s chest and he liked to imagine that it had a nice, golden glow around it. That it liked being around Pike. It made him feel better.

“So, er, I guess when you're all better and out of here, would it be okay if I started praying with you?” Grog asked, sitting back down and taking Pike’s hand again. He didn't know what he was waiting for when he asked the unconscious Pike (his best friend, his little buddy, his _sister_ ). Still, he waited. He listened to her heartbeat on the monitor. He listened to her slow breathing. He desperately tried not to think about a too-long silence, or a too-long beep and what that would mean.

Pike’s hand twitched in his and suddenly Grog sat forwards, all his attention on the slight flutter of her eyelashes.

“ _-rog._ ” Pike’s voice was raw and barely a breath, but it was there, and Grog wanted to weep when he heard it.

“Yes, little buddy?” He asked, shifting closer in his seat.

“Wh’r ‘m I?” Pike mumbled, trying her hardest to focus on Grog’s face (her best friend, her buddy, her _brother’s_ face).

“In the hospital.” Grog said. A spark of recognition flittered across her face and her eyes snapped up to look Grog in the eye. “Don't worry, Pike. We're all here for you, but they only let me in to see you right _now_ , because you're my sister.” He explained, letting Pike grip his hand as tightly as she needed.

“Y’ ok’y?” Pike managed to get out, blinking slowly. Grog remembered Percy trying to tell him something about pain medicine, but brushed it off.

“You don't have to worry about me, Pike.” Grog promised. He leaned forwards and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Get some sleep, little buddy.”

“Ok'y, 'will.” Pike said, her voice already faint as her eyes blinked ever slower.

Grog held her hand as her breaths slowed and evened out. He settled back in his chair, never moving his hand. If he slept at all that night, then it certainly wasn't for long. Not when he had someone to watch over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I haven't said before, Grog and Pike are one of the most important things in my life rn


	5. You've Been Running Through My Mind All Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sings* ~I can't write Scanlan~ ~I try but it's difficult~~
> 
> ~also this wasn't meant to be the next chapter but the first draft got scrapped~~
> 
> ~So I wrote a bar scene~ ~because I suck~~

The bar was bustling around them. That in itself wasn’t unusual. What _was_ unusual was the fact it was almost eight o’clock in the evening and half of the group were not there. Only four of them sat around their usual booth.

Grog and Scanlan sat either side of a heavily tipsy Keyleth, both of them nursing their own drinks. (Standard procedure: don’t let Keyleth the Lightweight out of sight once there is alcohol on the table.) Well, Scanlan was nursing his drink. _Grog_ was trying to convince Keyleth to do whiskey shots with him. Pike was sat beside Scanlan, laughing behind her hand, though everything about her body language was of fondness. She seemed just as amused by Grog’s antics, and even volunteered for a shot herself.

Scanlan could only watch in amusement as Grog brought a small tray over back to the booth. Five shot glasses were arranged in a pentagon on the tray and Grog took extra care to not spill the drink as he placed the tray down.

Pike reached out and picked up two of the shots, placing them in front of herself. Grog just grinned as he gave one of the shots to Keyleth and took the last two for himself.

“Want one, Scanlan?” Pike asked, offering one of her two shots to her friend.

“I’m not one for whiskey.” Scanlan said, taking a drink of his pint to prove his point. He felt a bit drained. Emotionally, at least. The idea of getting piss-drunk with his friends didn’t seem to hold the same kind of appeal, but maybe just being in his friend’s company could help. “Plus, I’ve got Kaylie tomorrow and I don’t want her to see me with a bad hangover.”

He could tell Pike didn’t _quite_ believe his reasoning, but she shrugged and looked back towards Grog anyway. She held out the shots and Grog very gently clinked their glasses together. Keyleth joined in with her singular shot, a beaming smile on her face.

On the count of three, they drank.

Grog’s only reaction was a slight twist of his lips as he slammed the shot glasses back down. He looked proud, if a bit more intoxicated than he was just from his beer. A grin pulled at his mouth as he pulled his shoulder back, puffing out his chest in pride.

Pike threw back the shots one after another, mimicking Grog. Her face scrunched up at the taste and she grimaced for a second before her features smoothed out into a victorious smile.

Keyleth’s reaction was largely the same as Pike’s, just with a bit of coughing. Grog patted her back, trying to help as she gained control of her lungs again. When her breathing could even out, Keyleth lifted her hands with a thumbs-up gesture and Grog sat back in his seat.

“Was it worth it, Keyleth? Was it?” Scanlan asked, a surprisingly paternal tone in his voice that was still a playfully mocking.

They exchanged small banter back and forth for a little while. The doors of the pub opened and Scanlan caught himself glancing up instinctively. Something in him relaxed when he saw his friends walk in and approach the booth.

Percy’s face was red and Vex was walking alongside him, her hand on his shoulder comfortingly but trying to force away a smile. On the other hand, Vax was laughing as he walked over to the booth, sliding onto the bench next to Pike. Vex threw him a slightly scathing look as she sat beside Percy, opposite her brother.

“Oi, what’s up with Percy’s face?” Grog asked, gesturing to the deep blush on Percy’s face with his pint glass.

“Percy managed to get himself a date.” Vex said, a teasing tone to her voice. Instantly, Percy groaned and leaned his elbows on the table, covering his face with his hands out of sheer embarrassment.

“I did _not_ get a date, Vex. _Please_ don’t twist my words.” His voice was muffled by his hands, but the tone came across.

“Aww, _Percy_ , what happened?” Keyleth asked, leaning around Grog and reaching out to pet Percy’s arm. Percy made no move to tell the tale, and Vax took it upon himself to do so.

“We were on our way here and this woman stops Percy in the street, right. She says that she likes his coat and Percy, poor Percy, he tries to talk to her about the tailoring of it. Now she’s pretending to care, and she asks Percy if he’d be willing to go get a drink sometime, and _Percy_ , says that he had a ‘ _previous engagement_ ’, while looking back at me and Vex. And _now_ this woman’s pulling out her phone and offering Percy her number, and it was only _then_ that he realised she was trying to ask him out on a date.” Vax said. He had a mischievous light in his eye that Scanlan hadn’t seen since Vax had almost broken down his door looking for sanctuary after shaving half of Grog’s beard.

(Scanlan could still hear Vex’s indignant shouts at his door as she tried to coax her brother out of hiding).

Percy groaned again and let his head fall to the table, making contact with a resounding _thud_.

“ _I feel so embarrassed._ ” Percy muttered against the table.

“And _then_ ,” Vax continued, “Percy starts blushing and telling this lady that he’d be flattered, so she immediately pulls out a pen and this scrap of paper from her bag. Percy’s stammering as she hands him her number and then she just _leaves_ , with this smile on her face while Percy’s stood there in the middle of the shop, completely red in the face. Oh, you should have been there!”

“Vax, stop it.” Vex chastised lightly, though she tried her hardest to keep the smile from her face.

“Our little Percy’s got a _date_!” Keyleth cooed, reaching over and petting Percy’s hair affectionately.

“I have _not_.” Percy muttered.

“Come on, Percy, let’s get you some drinks.” Vex said, standing up and patting Percy’s shoulder comfortingly. She glanced at the bar and a small smirk came over her. “Come on, brother.” Vex gently _thwapp_ ed Vax over the back of the head and he begrudgingly pulled himself to his feet.  

As soon as the twins had left, Pike had moved around and slipped into the space that Vex had just vacated. She gently touched Percy’s shoulder and he turned his head to the side and looked up at her.

“So you haven’t told them yet?” Pike asked, her voice barely heard over the bustle of the crowds around them.

“I can’t ever seem to find the right words to.” Percy admitted, keeping his voice just as low. The conversation of the others at the table seemed to cover their words.

“You don’t have to, you know. None of us _have_ to know, if you didn’t want us to.” Pike pointed out, gently rubbing comforting circles on Percy’s back. “And if this lady got the wrong idea, then you can always let her down easy. You’re good with people, it’ll be easy. We believe in you, Percy.” She said with a cheeky little smile on her face, gripping Percy’s shoulders and giving him a small squeeze.

“Thank you, Pike.” Percy said finally, lifting his head and sitting up finally. His head was still a bit flushed, but he seemed better. Happier, and more comfortable at least. "I just feel bad for leading that poor woman on." 

"I don't think what happened was you leading her on, Percy. It was just a misunderstanding." Pike shrugged, easily reassuring her friend like it was second nature. 

Scanlan looked towards the bar in time to see a familiar man approach Vax at the bar. He saw the tied back black hair and the little braided goatee, and he saw Vax’s slight lean on the counter and the small, private smile. Scanlan saw Vex walked back to the table, a tray of drinks in her hands, whispering something to her brother as she left. He could only assume it was something about not getting home too late.

Vex placed the tray down and handed out a few drinks, pressing one in Percy’s hand with a small wink. She sat down beside Scanlan, her mood much lighter than his. She saw the look on his face and huffed.

“Who spat in your beer?” Vex asked, taking a sip of her drink and looking at Scanlan expectantly. He glanced at his drink and made a disgusted face. He let himself relax when he heard Vex’s laugh and glanced up at her.

“I’m seeing Kaylie tomorrow.” Scanlan said, as if that summed up all of his problems in one.

“Ah, your daughter.” Vex said, nodding in understanding. “You nervous?”

“Yep. Could not be more afraid.” Scanlan admitted.

“Why? You’ve met her before. She’s just your kid, what’s the worst that could happen?” Vex asked, gesturing out and almost spilling a bit of beer but catching herself with weirdly fast speed. “And you’ve been getting on well with her, recently! She’s warming up to you, what’s the problem?”

“She’s almost a stranger to me, Vex, and she’s my daughter!” Scanlan said, his own voice raising just the slightest amount.

“That’s not your fault, Scanlan.” Vex said, gently pulling him in for a one-armed, sideways hug. He was much shorter than her and the hug was just a touch awkward as it was comforting. “All you can do is bond with her and see how things go. You can’t forge a relationship in day, so just take it easy. Find out what she’s in to, show an interest in it! You’ll do _fine_ , Scanlan.”

Scanlan chewed on those words for a while. Even as Vex turned and talked to Grog and Keyleth, Scanlan thought. He thought as Vax stopped by the table to tell his sister not to come back to the apartment if she valued a good night’s sleep, with a sly smirk on his face. As Percy offered his room to Vex and Keyleth started planning an impromptu sleepover.

He thought as they walked down the street, Keyleth with her arms around both Percy and Vex’s necks, both of them supporting her as they went. He thought as he watched Grog lift Pike up onto his shoulders like she weighed nothing, and both of them singing some old folk song with Pike leading.

The more Scanlan thought, the more he found comfort in Vex’s words.

One step at a time. Take it slow.

He could do that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also I finally sorted all the ages so they'll probably come into play a bit more... maybe
> 
> I have so many ideas for translating the critical role back story into a modern setting but I have no motivation to do so because I am so Tired rn  
> (also kind of wanted to do a Pride one but idk)
> 
> FYI in this Scanlan is 32 and Kaylie is 16 (teen dad Scanlan, ayo)


	6. I Am Also a We. And We March With Pride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from that episode of Sense8 where Nomi talks about Pride. so yeah, this is the Pride chapter.
> 
>  
> 
> ~~I still can't write scanlan help~~

The radio talked as the person in the apartment busied themselves getting ready.

“ _You know, today is a pretty great day, listeners. Today is a day to celebrate our differences and stand united. Yes, listeners. Today is_ Pride _. Today we march down our streets, holding our flags aloft and standing proud with our brothers and sisters. I will also be in that march, today. Not as a radio presenter, but walking proudly with my friends._ ”

Scanlan’s voice was a comforting background soundtrack, and always was.

“ _I can see my producer trying not to cry in the booth. She got engaged this morning, so we can all forgive her for this. Oh! That’s right, I’ve got some tweets to read out. At LucidMonarcy says that this is the first Pride march they’ve ever gone to, and they’re bringing their big brother for support. Well, I hope you have a blast, LucidMonarchy. At Stone-underscore-Prince says that he, his wife and his son will be there in loving memory of their lost friends. I don’t think you’ll be alone in that, Prince but I hope that you have a good time nonetheless. At Arcane-underscore-Allura says that she loves the show and that she can’t wait to march proudly today with her girlfriend of twenty years. Well congratulations, Arcane Allura, and thank you so much. We have time for one last tweet, so let’s make it a good one. Hmm, let’s see. Oh, here’s one. At Gilmore’s Glorious Goods says that he’s so proud of this city and that he’s proud of me for coming out live on air. Well, Mister Gilmore, thank you for that praise. There have been a few tweets like that and part of me wants to address this before I leave all you lovely listeners._ ”

Keyleth paused in putting her backpack together and looked towards the radio. She had a proud smile on her face as she listened. A folded up rainbow flag was in her hands, ready to be packed.

“ _Earlier, I said, on air, that I am pansexual. And I stand by that. I’ve known this about myself for a long time, listeners. I didn’t always know it, and it was a_ long _time before I could admit it, even to myself. And I’m saying this because there are so many people out there who went through that. Today is about feeling accepted, no matter what. It’s been a long road for us, and today is a good step forwards. I’m all out of time for now, so I’ll leave you listeners with this message._ ”

Keyleth hastily dabbed at her eye, stopping any tears before they could fall.

“ _Up until very recently, people like me couldn’t exist. The rules of society told us we couldn’t. But we grew brave, and we started fighting for our rights and for the lives of our children to exist in a much more caring world. I’m not saying we’re there: there’s always more we can do. But this is a step in the right direction. So happy Pride, everyone. I’ll see you at the parade._ ”

There was a knock on the door and Keyleth left her bag to open it. The twins, Pike and Grog were stood on the other side, broad grins on their faces. Pike was clinging onto Grog’s back as he easily supported her in a piggyback hold.

Vex and Vax wore matching t-shirts with the words ‘ _I’m the bi twin_ ’ printed in the colours of the bisexual flag. Vex had her usual feathers twined in her hair, also in pinks, purples and blues. Her brother’s hair was half pinned back, still hanging loosely around his shoulders. A plaited leather bracelet hung around each wrist, merging between blue, pink, white, back to pink then blue. He waved at Keyleth as they stepped inside, a small, nervous look on his face. Keyleth immediately pulled him into a hug, letting him wrap his arms around her and seek a small amount of comfort.

Pike’s hair had been chalked so it was striped with all kinds of different colours. She had the colours black, grey, white and purple painted on one cheek with the colours of the aromantic flag painted on the other. Two small flags with the same colours poked out of her bag.

Grog didn’t look all that different, or celebratory, but he did have five thick stripes of greens and yellow and greys painted across his face like war paint. (Keyleth had no doubt that Pike had been the one to do that).

Pike hopped off Grog’s back and Keyleth could clearly see her shirt now. It had rainbow letters printed on it, spelling out ‘ _Sarenrae loves you_ ’ across her chest.

“Hey Keyleth.” Pike greeted, smile smile unyielding on her face. “Are we all ready?”

“Almost, Percy’s still in his room.” Keyleth said, turning back to her bag and stuffing a few more things in.

“I’ll go get him.” Vex said, passing her backpack to her brother, who just placed it on the floor next to his and followed her.

Percy’s door was shut and Vex knocked politely. There was the sound of something being accidentally knocked on the floor and a long sigh.

“Come in.” Percy said from the other side of the door. Vax pushed the door open and they both walked in.

Percy was sat at his desk, a soldering iron on and in his hands as he carefully wired something in front of him. He was dressed as he normally was, minus his coat, that now hung on the back of his chair.

“We’re leaving soon, Percy.” Vex said, leaning against the door frame.

“Hm? Oh, have fun.” Percy said, not looking away from his work. He sounded as distracted as he looked.  

“You’re coming with, Percival.” Vax pointed out, partially to remind him. Percy didn’t reply and Vax rolled his eyes. Vex walked up to the plug socket that the soldering iron and turned it off.

That got Percy’s attention.

He sighed as he placed the iron back into its holder, and looked up at Vex. He looked tired, and a bit nervous.

“Can I help you?” Percy asked, forcing as much annoyance into his voice as possible.

“Yes you can, Percival. You can get ready to go to this Pride march with all of us.” Vex said, matching his tone and leaning on his desk.

“I wasn’t aware I was required to go.” Percy molded his face into a mask of cool assessment, and that irked Vex for some reason.

“You promised Keyleth that you’d go. And this is meant to be a _celebration_ , Percival.” Vex pointed out.

“I’m not in a celebratory mood, I’m afraid.” Percy tried to say, but Vax interrupted.

“Tough shit, everyone else is ready.” Vax said, shutting the door and walking over to the other side of the desk. “Percival, I know that you’re afraid of what today means, or what could happen, but we’re all going to be there. We’re in this together, Percy. I _know_ that it’s scary for everyone to see what you are, but we will never judge you. Remember that.”

He stalked out of the room, letting the door swing closed behind him. Vex sighed and waited for Percy to look back to his desk.

“Percy,” Vex said, her voice much gentler than usual. “It’s okay to be scared. Believe me, if anyone knows what you’re feeling, it’s us. And Percival? We’re going to be there. We’re _all_ going to be there. You’ve said it yourself, we’re family now. So even if you keep it a secret, just being with us will be fun.”

“I didn’t realise you and Vax knew of my...” Percy muttered, hanging his head as he let his sentence hang in the air.

“We’re far more observant than any of you care to admit.” Vex pointed out. “Come on, let’s go out and have some fun today.” She stood up and extended her hand towards Percy. He looked up and finally let a small smile show on his face. He let Vex pull him to his feet and didn’t begrudge her arm around his shoulders as they walked.

There were pictures the next day, floating around social media.

A police officer with blonde hair and a scar across her face, on one knee and proposing to her then-girlfriend-now-fiancée, a local professor of Chemistry. They both had huge smiles on their faces as people around them cheered.

A red haired woman with a rainbow flag tied around her neck kissed a black-haired woman while a black-haired man kissed a man dressed in purple. The black-haired twins were high-fiving each other.

A white-haired woman was sat on a large man’s shoulders, waving two flags above her head. The man was holding onto her legs to keep her balanced and the stripes across his face were ever so slightly smudged downwards. One of his arms was around was around the local radio presenter, who walked beside a younger girl that shared his features. She looked amused, by something he must have been saying. Or singing.

The red-haired woman walked at the front of a small group, holding out the flag so it caught the wind. She walked hand-in-hand with a white-haired man. His jacket was unbuttoned and billowed behind him like a cape. They both smiled as they walked: the woman’s whole face bright and open; the man’s more reserved, but a sparkle in his eye that showed how happy he really was.

The march lasted the day as it went from one end of the city to the other. Flags waved about the city and people marched. They marched for their identities. They marched for their friends, their family, their legacy and their futures.

They marched for their pride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for anyone who didn't study the pride flags for an art project, basically here's the run down:  
> Pike: asexual and aromantic  
> Grog: aromantic (ngl there are several variations of the aro flag so I used the common colours)  
> Vex: bisexual  
> Vax: bisexual and a trans man  
> Scanlan: pansexual  
> Keyleth: gay af  
> Percy: demisexual (but not really ready to come out) (Pike knows tho)


	7. Girl's Night In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls have a sleepover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted a nice chapter before the next one, because _hooboy_ I do not want to write out the next few parts 
> 
> anyway, enjoy some fluff and a bit of character history while I'm at it :D
> 
> also, over 10k words, I'm proud of myself

“Vax, go away already. This is a _girl’s_ night.” Vex said, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at her brother with a clearly annoyed expression on her face. Her pyjamas were baggy on her lithe frame and Vax could see a few people sitting on the floor in front of the TV further in the room.

“Then why is Percy in there?” Vax pointed out. He was mostly arguing for arguments sake, if the smug smile on his face was anything to go by.

“Percy _lives_ here.” Vex said, as if it was obvious. “It’s not like we can kick him out of his own house.”

“I thought this was strictly a girls only night?”

“It’s _Percy_.” Vex said, not quite able to think up another way to reason the same sentiment.

“Thank you, dear.” Percy’s amused voice came from the inside of the apartment.

“You know what I mean. He’s probably going to be tinkering the whole night in his room.” Vex said, rolling her eyes. “Brother, it’s one night. Why don’t you, Grog and Scanlan have a boy’s night? Or go out to a bar? Maybe you could go see Gilmore. It’s so rare for us to have a night with just us girls.”

“Trinket’s in there with you.” Vax pointed out. A small smile on his face betrayed the fact that now he was just arguing for the sake of it.

“It’s _Trinket_!” Vex said, indignant in every presentable way.

“ _Alright_.” Vax relented, pulling his sister into a hug. “But you better not gossip about us.” He said, ruffling her hair affectionately as he let her go.

“Vax, that’s _all_ we do.” Vex said. “That and drink. Pike has a surprising talent for mixing drinks.” She had a small smile on her face and Vax wasn’t quite sure if she was serious or not.

“Plus, the cocktails are _reeeeaaaaallly_ good.” Keyleth said, holding up a glass from where she sat on the floor. Pike was laughing, a similar glass in her own hand.

“Plus the cocktails _are_ really good.” Vex repeated, looking at her brother sincerely.

“Whatever; have fun you lot. Percival, if you see nail polish, _run_. I learned that lesson the hard way.” Vax said, calling out into the room over his sister’s head.

“I will keep that in mind.” Percy said, his head appearing around the door. “Though I don’t intend to stay long enough for them to get the chance.”

“That’s what you think, Percival.” Vex said teasingly, giving him a sly wink.

“Have fun, Percy.” Vax said, a small smile on his face that mirrored his sisters amusement. “Don’t let them get you drunk.”

“I will certainly keep that in mind.” Percy promised, giving Vax a small wave before he disappeared from the doorway.

“Goodnight, brother.” Vex said.

“Goodnight, stubby.” Vax said, albeit a bit reluctantly. Vex gave her brother one last smile and a wave before closing the door.

“What did Vax want?” Pike asked, looking up from her phone as Vex walked back. They knew that she was checking to see if she had any messages from her coworkers. The hospital was a bit understaffed recently, and the more paramedics that could be available if needed, the better. (No matter how many times they reminded her that this was meant to be a nice night and to relax, some ingrained desire to _heal_ kept Pike occasionally checking her phone).

“Either to annoy me, or to check up on me. You know we don’t like being apart for too long.” Vex said fairly, sitting down on a small pile of pillows opposite Keyleth and Pike with her back resting on the base of the sofa. She felt a heavy dog’s jaw resting on her leg and absently scratched Trinket’s head.

“Well if you ladies are alright, I think I will retire to my room.” Percy said, appearing briefly in the living room to bid his goodnight.

“Goodnight Percy.” Keyleth said, her words just a little slurred and waving brightly at her roommate. He had a tiny smile on his face at the image of these three grown women and a big shaggy dog sitting on piles of pillows and blankets in the middle of the room, all dressed in pyjamas.

“Goodnight. Try not to make _too_ much noise. I’d hate to bring on the wrath of the landlord.” Percy said, giving them one last wave before disappearing into his room.

Roughly two and half cocktails later, they were sat on the floor of the living room, glasses in hand and just a tipsy. A romcom was playing on the TV behind them, but they’d long since abandoned it.

“Okay, okay okay, who was your first kiss?” Pike asked, her drink more than half empty.

“First kiss?” Vex repeated, musing it. “I think it was a boy that I was trying to charm out of a rare Pokémon card for my brother.” She smiled at Pike’s laughter and Keyleth’s shocked expression.

“Seriously? How old were you?” Keyleth asked, somehow not spilling any of the drink on the carpet.

“I was maybe fourteen. Almost fifteen, I think.” Vex said, taking a small sip of the cocktail. “It was a shiny and the boy deserved it. He made fun of Vax for his hair so I cheated him out of his Charizard.”

“Did Vax like it?” Pike asked.

“He _loved_ it.” Vex said, relishing in the memory of her brother’s face when she gave him the card later that day. “Alright, you two. First kisses. What were they?”

“I guess technically it was Grog.” Pike admitted, one hand resting on her cheek as she thought. “I mean _technically_. When we were kids.”

“Brothers don’t count, Pike.” Vex said.

“Oh, then it was Scanlan at that New Year’s party a few years ago.” Pike said, almost hiding behind her glass.

“ _Really?_ ” Vex said, sitting up just a little bit more. “You’re _thirty_ and your first kiss was when you were twenty-eight? I can’t imagine that.”

“I just don’t date, Vex. I’m perfectly happy, sitting here with my cocktails, and you guys.” Pike said, looking about at the other two with a look in her eye. It was sweet and kind, and _honest_. There was no sadness in her words, only a love that ran deeper than they knew.

“Keyleth?” Vex asked, turning her attention to the last girl.

“That- uh, that- would be you, Vex.” Keyleth said, slowly turning red and nursing her drink. “Oh _Keyleth_.” Vex cooed, looping an arm around Keyleth’s shoulders and pulling her in for a sloppy hug. “ _Darling_.” Trinket moved his head from where it rested on her lap and lay out on the floor, releasing a long exhale.

“That’s _so_ _cute_.” Pike said, in a hushed whisper.

“It’s not _that_ cute.” Keyleth said, not trying to remove herself from Vex’s hold. She even smiled a little, like she was enjoying it. “I’m awkward okay. This whole, _relationship_ thing doesn’t come easy to me.”

“Well you’re doing wonderfully so far.” Vex assured her, planting a small kiss on the top of her girlfriend’s head. Keyleth smiled, settling in to Vex as she did so. Once Keyleth was settled, Pike shuffled around and settled onto Vex’s other side, not one to be left out.

They made it to four cocktails in total before they started to slip into unconsciousness. Keyleth was the first to fall asleep, snoring ever so softly against Vex’s shoulder. The film played on and Pike took a few pictures at Vex’s request.

Vex fell asleep next, lulled by the sounds of clichéd romance scenes and soft music and her Mastiff’s warm form laying over her feet. Her head rested on Keyleth’s, an arm holding her in place with another resting on Pike’s arm; determined to know the presence of her companions even in sleep.

Pike tried to resist the call of sleep for a little while, but the warmth of her friends and the alcohol buzz leaving her system was too much. She shifted so her back was mostly against Vex’s arm and rested her head on a sofa cushion.

The four of them slept peacefully. The film ended and the title screen looped for hours, never disturbing their sleep.

Sometime around three in the morning, Percy stumbled past the door. He peered in and saw four forms lit by a pastel screen and he smiled. Carefully, and as quietly as possible, Percy picked up one of the abandoned blankets. He very gently laid the blanket over the sleeping being, tucking them in.

Percy stood up straight, seemingly satisfied that his friends and Trinket would be sufficiently warm for the rest of the night as they slept. He left the door, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Percy missed Trinket’s head lifting and watching the human leave. Missed the slight, happy sigh as Trinket settled back down, falling asleep almost immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so Pike is 30, Vex is 27, and Keyleth is 25 (the second youngest in Vox Machina)
> 
> just a little tidbit thrown in there :3


	8. Pellor, Forgive Me - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm _**alive**_
> 
> Work experience was scary but oh so worth it, exams were a bitch and I am one week from breaking up for the summer holidays (I was also ill for better part of a week and the family desktop finally died so that's why I haven't updated in f o r e v e r) 
> 
> also, this arc will probs be 4-ish parts?? I'm excited tho, even if I haven't written it all yet
> 
> side note: this chapter kind of establishes this setting as polytheist because I didn't want it to be like _our_ world with a few major religions, and wanted it to be a bit more true to the characters and who they pray to/follow/believe in.

Percy knelt on the cold floor beside his friends. He clasped his hands in front of him, choosing one, small defect in the pew in front of him to focus on. The church around him wasn’t his. This wasn’t his God. But this wasn’t about him.

Grog was kneeling to his left; head bowed and hands clasped together. Percy glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and saw the most serene expression he had ever seen on Grog’s face. Pike was sat on Grog’s other side, her posture exactly the same.

Percy looked back to the small mark and let his eyes fall closed.

The church around them was simple - at least compared to the churches and temples that Percy had grown up around dedicated to his own Gods. A statue of Sarenrae stood in the middle between two columns of pews. She looked proud but caring all at once, looking over Her followers. Candles were scattered across the church, all lit and throwing soft hues over every surface.

Pike started speaking softly, her voice just above a whisper. That prayer wasn’t for him: that was for Pike and Grog. She spoke her thanks and her gratefulness to Sarenrae, Grog nodding along absently as she did.

Percy wasn’t sure why Grog had started accompanying Pike to her church (or why _he_ asked to go along this once, either to be honest) but Percy certainly wasn’t one to question a sudden turn of faith.

His eyes opened and he forced himself to his feet. Praying to a Goddess that wasn’t his own wasn’t going to help, he knew that. Well, he’d known since he stepped foot into the building. Maybe he’d hoped that somehow, Pike’s faith could save his own.

Neither Pike nor Grog looked up at Percy stepped away, walking around the pews to the doors at the back of the church. He pushed them open and blinked in the sudden light. The street was deserted and Percy pulled his coat closer around him, walking along past the cemetery just down the street. He walked until he came to a park. It was empty as Percy crossed the boundary and sat on a bench.

The bench faced a large tree and Percy watched it for a few moments. It wasn’t as _grand_ or as familiar as his Sun Tree. There were no memories of children playing around its trunk during festivals, but it was enough to spark those familiar memories. Enough for images of his siblings to come, unbidden, into his mind once more.

Enough for tears to burn his eyes, if only for a moment.

Percy bowed his head, clasping his hands together in front of him. His eyes slid closed once again.

“Pellor, forgive me.” Percy said, keeping his voice low and trusting that he would stay alone. “I’m not a pious man, but I have tried to keep my faith. But… I keep remembering what happened. I keep seeing _their_ faces. Seeing my siblings, seeing Cassie- _Cassandra_. It’s been 5 years and knowing _they_ are still out there, somewhere, _hurts_ me.”

Percy swallowed the lump in his throat. Cold air burnt his lungs as he took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

“Forgive me, Pellor. I- I’m _trying_. My friends know, my- my _family_ know - not everything, but enough - and they are trying to help me. But _please_ , Pellor, I need some extra help. I need closure. I need some way to enact _vengeance_ on the Briarwoods.” Percy said, letting his anger replace his sorrow. It was easier that way. “They need to pay for what they did to the de Rolos. Something needs to be done. I want this feeling to be gone. This _anger_ , this _pain_. I don’t want it anymore.”

Percy startled as his phone began to ring in his pocket. He fished it out and saw the drunken selfie Vax had taken on his phone, set to his contact picture and failed to tell Percy about. The phone fell silent for a moment before immediately ringing again, Vax’s intoxicated face lighting up the screen once again.

Begrudgingly, Percy answered.

“Vax-”

“ _Percy, where are you?_ ” Vax’s voice sounded strange: desperate and just a bit panicked. It was unnerving. “ _Are you still with Pike and Grog?_ ”

“No, I left them in-” Percy tried to get out, but Vax interrupted him once again.

“ _Go back. Stay close to them, don’t let them out of your sight and get_ home _._ ” Vax practically ordered. “Now _, Percival._ ”

“Why? What’s the emergency?” Percy asked, standing from the bench just from the sheer urgency in his friend’s voice. Vax fell silent and Percy felt his own panic rising no matter how much he tried to squash it down. “Vax?”

“ _Something turned up today. At the police station._ ” Vax said slowly, as Percy began walking towards the edge of the park. “ _A letter from this girl. She said she’d been kidnapped by the people who killed her family._ Your _family, Percy. The de Rolos._ ”

Percy froze in place, barely two steps from the gate that lead to the outside world. He felt his muscles lock. His grip grew lax. The phone fell to the ground.

No.

No, this wasn’t happening.

This was impossible.

She couldn’t-

She wasn’t-

_Cassandra_ …

“ _PERCY!_ ” The voice suddenly cut through his thoughts and Percy bent down to retrieve his phone. Vax was shouting at him down the phone, his panic and fear getting the better of him.

“I’m here, Vax.” Percy said, sounding much calmer than he felt. He forced himself to move and began walking back towards the Church. “I’m here.”

“ _Percival, please, be careful and get back to Pike and Grog. Then get home. I’ll explain everything when we’re all in one place. I promise_.” Vax said. It was obvious how much he was forcing himself to calm down and sound sane.

“I’ll hold you to that promise, Vax.” Percy said, trying for a jovial tone and almost succeeding.

“ _Good. Now hurry up, you big lug_.”

The phone beeped dully as Vax hung up and Percy sighed. He immediately tapped another name and held the phone to his ear again as he listened to it ring.

“ _Percy?_ ”

“Hello, Keyleth.” Percy said, keeping his tone as light as possible. “Where are you?”

“ _I’m still at home, Percy. Actually, I was about to head out to the allotment, do you want me to-_ ” Keyleth sounded relaxed and happy and it was exactly the balm Percy’s mind needed.

“Keyleth, I have to ask something of you.” Percy interrupted. He could hear Keyleth’s surprise over the phone, but continued down the street, deftly avoiding people that seemed to come out of nowhere.

“ _Er, sure, Percy. What’s up?_ ” Keyleth asked. Percy took a small breath to steady himself.

“I want you to stay right there.” He said. “Actually, no, I want you to go down to Vex and Vax’s apartment and stay there. Before you ask, I’m not entirely sure what’s happening either, but Vax just called me in a panic telling me to get back home and that he’d explain later. I don’t trust our apartment right now, and I would feel much better if I knew you were safe.”

“ _Okay, Percy, I’ll do that_.” Keyleth said. Percy could vaguely hear the sounds of Keyleth moving about and felt the knot of tension in his chest ease just the smallest amount. “ _But why wouldn’t our apartment be safe enough? We have locks on the door._ ”

“Because I think this has something to do with the Briarwoods, Keyleth.” Percy admitted, lowering his voice as he did so.

“ _The Briarwoods? Are you serious?_ ”

“Vax told me that a woman has turned up claiming to have been kidnapped by them.” Percy admitted. For some reason, admitting it to Keyleth (sweet, lovely Keyleth who treated him like family when he thought he was alone) made it seem all the more _real_ , and by extension, all the more _terrifying_.

“ _I’ll meet you at the Twin’s apartment. Stay safe, Percy_. _And don’t take too long, okay_?” Keyleth said, something in her voice knowing and reassuring. (It was an act. Just as much as Percy’s calm exterior was/is.)

“I won’t, Kiki.” Percy said, letting himself sound fond for just a moment.

“ _Good. See you in a bit._ ” Keyleth said, hanging up the call.

Percy looked down at his blank phone screen as Keyleth’s picture (a picture of Keyleth with her arms around a small rabbit she’d found injured on the side of a motorway and nursed back to health) blinked away. Every kind of emotion swirled in his chest but one seemed to keep coming back to the forefront of his mind.

His sister was _alive_.

Cassandra de Rolo lived.

He wasn’t alone. Wasn’t the last of his name.

_‘Thank you, Pellor._ ’ Percy thought as he saw Pike and Grog waiting for him outside of Sarenrae’s Church.  _‘For answering me_ .’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooooo, the Briarwood arc was my fucking _fave_ in the campaign and nothing will ever _ever_ take that away from me.
> 
>  
> 
> ~~I need to figure out how to have vampires in a modern setting~~


	9. Pellor, Forgive Me - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually planning this arc out... this is unprecedented....
> 
> On that note, this arc should be about 5 parts long in total (so this is 2/5) that _may_ change if some parts get too long :/
> 
> Translating a lot of the magic and stuff into a modern world is tricky but I hope I'm pulling it off, or at least making it interesting enough to keep people engaged <3

Percy leaned his head against the car window and tried to block out the dawning sense of _doom_. He remembered the conversations in Vex and Vax’s apartment as he closed his eyes.

“ _We can’t just up and leave! You have work! And Percy and I have lectures to attend! There’s Trinket to think about as well!_ ” Vex had said to her brother. They all knew that she wanted to come along just as much as everyone else, but _someone_ had to think of reality since Percy couldn’t be the voice of reason.

“ _We’ll find some way around that, Vex. This is Percy’s_ family _we’re talking about. His_ sister _turns up after being presumed_ dead _for five years. Even if we can’t do something, we should at least go with him._ ” Vax had said to his sister, knowing all the risks but saying ‘ _fuck it_ ’ as per usual. Rather a reckless police officer, really.

“ _Percy, are you sure you want to go?_ ” Keyleth then spoke up, holding Percy’s hand comfortingly.  “ _I mean, we don’t know what could be there. And if this_ does _involve the Briarwoods, then maybe we should let the police handle it._ ”

All eyes turned to Vax and he shrugged.

“ _We’ve got nothing._ ” Vax had looked around at the others. “ _All we have is a letter that didn’t even have an address, and inside was a letter from a dead girl who everyone assumed was buried five years ago_.”

Vex had hit her brother upside the head when she noticed Percy’s smallest flinch at the brusque description of his sister. Vax immediately looked apologetic, hunching his shoulders just a little.

“ _Pike, can you get time off work?_ ” Grog had asked, turning to his sister. He kept his voice as quiet as he was aware he could and Pike did the same.

“ _Probably not._ ” Pike admitted, toying with the hem of her checkered shirt. “ _But if I call in sick then that should get me a few days._ ”

“ _I’m not going to ask you to drop everything for me_.” Percy had said, stepping in before any serious decisions had been reached. He could feel Keyleth squeeze his hand again and squeezed hers back. “ _This is about my family and I can go back there myself_.”

At that moment Scanlan had walked back into the room, holding a phone in his hand victoriously.

“ _Well they’re not expecting me at work any time soon and Kaylie’s going to stay at a friends for a few days then go back to her mother’s._ ” He said. “ _So if we’re going to do this, we should probably go soon._ ”

“ _Scanlan, when you say they’re not expecting you…_ ” Pike spoke up, a small note of fear in her voice that Scanlan had done something stupid like quit his job.

“ _I gave them a description of the worst diarrhea they could ever dream of._ ” Scanlan’s smile was far too prideful and Percy couldn’t hide the slight disgust on his face. He saw and Scanlan smiled wider. “ _See! Now they won’t ask any questions_.”

“ _So we’re doing this?_ ” Keyleth asked, looking around all of them one by one. “ _We’re going to go to Whitestone and help Percy’s family?_ ”

There had been a moment when they all looked at Percy. Then they all looked at each other. Then they all came to a silent decision.

“ _Get a good night’s sleep and head out in the morning?_ ” Vex had said. “ _Give us time to get our stuff together._ ”

“ _Yeah, alright._ ” Grog had agreed, standing up and stretching out the muscles in his arms. “ _But we’re taking two cars-_ ”

Percy’s head jolted as the car lurched its way through a pothole in the road.

“Sorry, Percy.” Keyleth apologised, glancing away from the road for just a second to look over at him. “I’ll drive more carefully, go back to sleep.” She said, reaching over and trying to pat him blindly. He gently swatted her hand away adjusting his glasses as he sat up straighter in his seat.

“It’s alright, Keyleth.” Percy said, looking out the window. He was starting to recognise the surrounding fields. It wasn’t until he saw a familiar statue that Percy could pinpoint exactly where he was. He reached up for the phone on the dashboard and began to call a number.

“What’s wrong, Percy?” Keyleth asked, glancing over.

“We’re getting close.” Percy said, waiting patiently for the call to connect.

“ _Hello? Percy, is something wrong?_ ” Pike’s voice came through the phone, louder once Percy had pressed the _speaker_ button. He glanced up at the rear-view mirror and saw her in the passenger seat of the car behind them, talking on the phone while Grog drove.

“No, nothing wrong but we’re getting close to Whitestone and we’re going to have to drive between two mountains to get there.” Percy said through the phone. “By car, it’s about a five hour drive and I don’t think we want to be on that road in the dark.”

“Why? Is it dangerous?” Vex said, leaning forwards in the backseat. Her brother was still asleep in the seat next to her (though Percy had a feeling that Vax was _very_ much awake). Trinket was asleep on her brother’s lap, twitching every so often and sighing as they (presumably) dreamt of something that is appealing to dogs.

“Not particularly,” Percy admitted, both to Vex and to the phone, “but I don’t think that it would be wise to drive along precarious roads at night.”

“ _So we should rest for the night?_ ” Pike said, frowning in thought through the phone, somehow.

“ _Or we could just book it._ ” Scanlan suggested. “ _Sleep when we’re closer._ ”

“If we continued on now, it would be dark by the time we reached the other side. And once we’re through, there’s still a few hours of driving through woodlands until we reach the outer edge of Whitestone.” Percy said. Memories of travelling down this road all came back to him as he retraced the way in his mind.

“Well, Percy, I think a bigger question is where _can_ we stay the night? There’s nothing along here.” Vex said, her hand resting close to Keyleth. Not so much that they were touching, but enough. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Percy wondered what they were at this point. He knew that they occasionally talked about their ‘ _relationship_ ’, after their kiss at the Pride march, but they were never very _forthright_ with it. They never called each other ‘ _girlfriend_ ’ out loud, not even amongst friends. Keyleth didn’t really want to talk about it with him (understandable, honestly, considering Percy’s history with anything of a romantic nature) but still he noticed the slight touches, the quick glances, the awkward air around them if they were left alone.

“ _Sleep in the cars?_ ” Scanlan suggested.

“I say we keep going but we take it in shifts.” Vax said, confirming Percy’s theory that he was, in fact, awake this entire time. “Two of us drive while the rest of us get some sleep and we switch out every few hours.”

“Does that sound alright for you guys in the other car?” Keyleth asked, keeping all her attention focused solely on the road. Out of all of them, she was the most careful driver.

“ _I think we can do that._ ” Scanlan said.

“Grog? What about you?” Vex asked.

“ _If it means I can get some shut-eye then sure._ ” Grog said. He didn’t sound annoyed, or particularly tired. But there was something in his voice that was hard to place.

“Then we’ll do that.” Percy said. “Who’s going to take the first shift then?”

“I will.” Vex said, with very little hesitation.

“ _I’ll take over from Grog._ ” Pike said.

“Then it’s settled,” Percy said, a gnawing tension in the pit of his stomach, “we’ll pull over when we get to the mountains and see it through.”

He ended the call and felt a hand on his shoulder. Percy looked up into the rear-view mirror and saw Keyleth looking at him. Her eyes turned back to the road and Percy felt the knot inside him unwind just the slightest bit.

“Get some sleep, Percy.” Keyleth said softly, changing gear as the ground underneath them began to change. “You need to be rested if you’re going to tell us how to get through this.”

Percy knew what she was doing (and how worried she always was about his sleeping habits) and he really didn’t have an argument in him, so he did as he was told. The window frame wasn’t overly comfortable so he rested his head on his arm, tucking his glasses into his pockets so they wouldn’t break.

“Wake me up if you need some company, Keyleth.” He said, letting his eyes fall closed. The gentle rock of the car against the worn road lulled Percy into a semi-peaceful respite and, for the first time in good long while, Percy dreamed of home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sophiabellissimo12 on tumblr asked me for some non-spoilery headcanons about this universe and it's too lengthy to add here so if you want to read it, it's [here so enjoy <3 ](http://queenmoggy.tumblr.com/post/147135999314/slides-in-from-ao3-care-to-share-your-cr-modern)


	10. Pellor, Forgive Me - Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lost de Rolo returns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I officially broke up for summer, thank fuck. 
> 
> also, without magic and stuff this story arc is significantly less... _epic_... so I hope that it's still readable.... and enjoyable....
> 
> Also I so _badly_ wanted to include the line "I've heard you're supposed to pee on a lemon tree" at some point in this chapter - it was in my plan and everything - but I couldn't alas :(

The Sun Tree was dead.

Out of everything that had transpired in the last few days, that was what stuck out in Percy’s mind the most.

The Sun Tree was dead and Whitestone was dying.

Nothing but the burned carcass of the city’s symbol of life and regeneration was left, standing in the town square like an omen.

Percy felt the ache in his very soul.

“ _Percy, we need to go_.” Keyleth’s whisper barely broke through the haze in his mind, but he moved as Grog’s hand pressed against his back. He snapped out of it when they’d left the Sun Tree behind and the weight of reality suddenly pressed on him. The unfamiliar clothes he’d borrowed from his friends, desperately trying to conceal his frame and figure; the cap pressed low on his head, desperately hiding his hair (despite the fact that he’d taken care of that a long time ago); his friends moving as a pack and abandoning their usual mannerisms to try and pass through the town unnoticed.

“ _Up ahead, there’s an old church we can seek refuge in_.” Percy whispered, tilting his cap further down his face.

They walked down the street, instinctively bundling together a bit more. Vex held onto Trinket’s leash tightly, keeping him close in the unfamiliar place. Faint rain began to fall and they hurried to reach the building. Trickles of people began to leave the church, hurrying away and quickly disappearing down alleyways or into nearby houses.

Grog caught the door before it closed and they all slipped inside out of the rain. Trinket shook the rain out of his fur, the tag on his collar tinkling loudly in the quiet.

“Hello? Who’s there?” A voice called out, echoing slightly in the now-empty church. Two figures stood together, talking just out of sight. Percy felt someone elbow his side and heard Grog’s whisper beside his ear.

“Do we talk to them?” He asked.

“I think we do.” Percy said, his eyes finding the figures and his voice hushed. “Maybe they talk to us.”

The Lady’s Chamber was surprisingly close to how Percy’s passing memory remembered it, if a bit more tattered. The seats were arranged in an amphitheatre fashion and all faced a large stained glass window that had been smashed and taped up at some point in the last five years. Percy struggled to remember what the window depicted and felt sadness well up inside him.  

Statuettes lined one of the walls, names engraved underneath them. The previous Keepers. (At least they were in tact.)

A figure walked towards them, stepping into the soft light from the intact windows beside them, and Percy felt his lungs stop.

“Who’s there?” The different voice repeated, stepping close enough to see them. They stilled, focussing only on Percy. “Percival?” Their voice was quiet, like saying the word would jinx it, somehow.

The man was _old_. His clothes were ragged and his skin was mostly liver spots, but they spoke with a sense of grandeur. In his crooked hands, he held a large book that looked like it could tip him over if he leaned too much. Percy felt like he’d been hit in the chest with a sledge hammer.

In spite of everything that had happened to him in the past few years, Percy never knew he could miss someone this much who wasn’t his own flesh and blood,

For a moment, Percy’s brain couldn’t work. Couldn’t form words. How had this man _survived?_ How was he still alive?

“Hello Archie.” Percy said, removing the hat and holding it in his hands. The sound of something hitting the floor echoed in the empty air and it took everyone a second to realise that the book was now lying at the man’s feet.

“Percival.” The man’s voice shook as his hand reached out, barely touching Percy’s face. His motor control skills had deteriorated over the years and he shook, but Percy didn’t move away from the touch. “Sweet Percival.”

“Not so sweet these days.” Percy said, a mournful note in his voice. “I did not think you would have lived.” His voice shook just the slightest bit and he could feel the smallest kernel of hope root itself in his chest.

“I thought you had perished, in the subjugation.” Archibald admitted, his one good eye raking over Percy’s face and taking it all in. Every little change from the boy he knew to the man before him. “Percival, you have no idea the joy this brings to my heart.”

Percy couldn’t help the smallest smile on his face, but when Archibald paused, he felt it fade.

“Your hair.” Archibald said, his voice strange. “It seems that you haven’t lived without fear of the Briarwoods these last five years. You were smart to change your appearance.” Self-consciously, Percy ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t have the heart to tell the man about the morning he found the white hairs. How those hairs turned into streaks. How he sat in a disgusting bathroom of some shady motel and carefully bleached away his family history. How it didn’t take long for that to become unnecessary.

“It was difficult leaving.” Percy said instead, keeping this old friend’s gaze. “I’m sorry I had to abandon the town all those years ago.”

“If you hadn’t, you would have been killed like the rest of your family.” The first mysterious voice said, stepping forwards so they were visible. “Percival, it was a miracle that you survived long enough to leave in the first place.”

“Keeper Yennen,” Percy said, nodding respectfully towards the other man. “Time has treated you well.” He took in the white hair and weathered robes and remembered the sermons he’d sat in on as a young child exploring the town.

“I could say the same to you, Percival.” Yennen said, a reserved smile on his face. He glanced towards the small crowd behind Percy, who were all watching the scene before them intently. Percy glanced behind him and looked back at Archibald, whose hand had retracted and now held his sleeve lightly. Archibald’s eyes were wide, watching him and there was a light there that Percy hadn’t seen in a good long while.

“Your sister’s letter. It arrived?” Archibald said, letting his hand fall to his side.

“Yes. That’s why we came here.” Percy admitted. “I didn’t know if it was a ruse or not, but I had to be sure. If there was a _chance_ my sister was alive, then I couldn’t ignore it. I would never have come back otherwise.” He felt like a coward saying that out loud, but he knew in his bones it was true. Five years of fear and nightmares, and just the simple thought of his baby sister was enough to conquer it.

Archibald leaned in closer. The light in his eyes grew brighter.

“Your sister lives, Percival.” He said. Percy felt like he’d been gifted knowledge from his God when those four words sank in. “She survived the attack and was taken as the personal assistant and slave to the Briarwoods and used as an example. A symbol of their dominance.”

Percy felt his chest tighten in fear for the sister that he thought he had left, dead and bleeding in the snow. The screams and shouts rang suddenly in his ears. Red snow flashed in front of his eyes. His sister, face down and unmoving, haunted him. His breath sped up just the slightest amount. But Archibald carried on talking.

“She’s been feeding us information for years, whenever she could and she has been the helping guide in the last two attempts we’ve made. We haven’t received a letter from her in weeks now, but know that you aren’t the only surviving member of your family.” Archibald said, something in his voice that was something close to pride.

“The last two attempts to do what?” Pike suddenly spoke up, breaking the spell on the three men that stood together. Her hand was clenching something looped around her neck and Percy knew that it was her own holy symbol.

“To remove the cult that the Briarwoods have infected this town with.” Keeper Yennen said.

Silence smothered them as that sentence fully sank in.

“A cult?” Keyleth repeated. “What kind of cult?”

“The Cult of Orthax.” Archibald said, his voice grave as he spoke to the rest of the group now. “They came here five years ago, claiming that they wanted to create a trading partnership between Wildmount and Whitestone. The de Rolo family held a dinner for them to celebrate, but the Briarwoods were never interested in trade. They poisoned the de Rolos who had been present at the meal and brought in soldiers to take control of the city. They tried to ban all other forms of worship and convert the town, but four years ago they gave up and just focussed on their own goal. The Briarwoods starting digging into the mountain, drying up the white stone resources and using it to build something. Not even Cassandra knows what it is.”

“If they needed the white stone, then why poison the de Rolos?” Scanlan mused.

“Maybe they needed something that the de Rolos wouldn’t give up?” Pike said, nervously playing with her holy symbol. She kept glancing at Percy, unsure of how her words would affect him.

“That seems like the reason.” Archibald said, sadness on the edge of his voice. “They wanted control of the city and the manor, and with the de Rolo family dead, and Percival their captive, the Briarwoods were free to control Whitestone however they felt fit.”

The word ‘ _captive_ ’ knotted something in Percy’s stomach and he could feel his friend’s eyes burning his back.

“So how do we put Whitestone back into the right hands?” Vex asked, her voice exactly the solid ground Percy needed to feel calmer.

“Could we rally the townsfolk?” Percy asked, directing his question to Keeper Yennen, mostly. “Tell them that there are now two de Rolos. Give back some hope to the people of Whitestone. Then we come up with a plan.”

“We could get people to attack the front of the manor while we sneak in from the back.” Grog said. The words settled over them and Percy could practically _hear_ the thoughts churning in his friend’s heads as he turned to face them.

“That’s… not a bad plan, Grog.” Vax said, slowly.

“Another uprising?” Percy repeated. “That not might be wise, considering the last two apparently failed.”

“But what if this one wasn’t a full rebellion? What if we just used it as a distraction to collect enough evidence to go to a higher authority? A protest of some kind? Just to get some attention.” Keyleth said. She had taken a small step forwards towards Percy. “There must be something in the castle we could use, or take back to Emon. Leave an anonymous tip for Uriel.”

“How many guards are there in the city?” Vax asked, turning to Keeper Yennen.

“There are six sentinels that patrol throughout the city, but most of the guards are stationed at Whitestone Manor.” Keeper Yennen said, looking as composed as one can when planning a rebellion.

“Only six?” Vex said, both surprised and frowning.

“The last attempted uprising was three years ago. Since then, a lot of people lost the will to fight back.” Keeper Yennen said solemnly. “A lot of the sentinels were called back to Whitestone Manor.”

“If there is another uprising then people must be ready to die.” Percy said, suddenly bringing reality back into the situation. “If there have been two attempts in the past, then the Briarwoods will be able to hold off a third, even if the entire city rallies. We can’t ask that of people, especially if we don’t have a solid plan for what we do when we get into the Manor.”

“Percy,” Pike said, softly. Like she was trying to calm a wild animal, “if we get into your home, what do you want to do?”

“I want to get to my sister and make sure she’s safe.” Percy said. “Then… then I want revenge on the people that killed my family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fair warning, the next chapter is written and uneditted and contains a lot of blood and some gore. I _might_ have to raise the rating, or just put a shit tonne of trigger warnings in the next chapter....
> 
> Immense and loving thanks to [firewolf1800](http://archiveofourown.org/users/firewolf1800/pseuds/firewolf1800) for the suggestion to make the Briarwoods cultists <3 <3 <3


	11. Pellor, Forgive Me - Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M PUMPED OKAY
> 
> AS I POST THIS, I AM 7 MINUTES AWAY FROM WATCHING AN EPISODE OF CRITICAL ROLE L I V E FOR THE FIRST TIME
> 
> I'M SO EXCITED :D
> 
> (warning for blood/murder in this chapter, to bring down the tone)

Percy held the letter opener in his hand.

His grip was painful. His knuckles were white.

Vax’s kitchen knife lay at Anders’ feet, bloodied, and Cassandra lay on the floor. Her blood was soaking into the carpet.

Pike was wrapping cloth around his sister’s neck. The cloth was turning red.

Percy couldn’t think of anything else. He gripped the letter opener.

“Hello Professor Anders.”

Anders was backed into the corner, holding his eye as blood leaked down his arm and face. His good eye grew wide, his hand coming away from his face for a moment.

“Percy…”

Percy couldn’t bring himself to feel any sympathy.

Two guards were attacking Grog. Grog had accidentally attacked Vax. Percy’s arm still hurt from one of the guard’s attack. Vex was beside her brother, desperately trying to bring him back to consciousness.

“Everything you’ve done to me,” Percy said, taking deliberate steps forwards, “everything you’ve done to my _family_ , you will pay for with your life.”

“Percival, you disappoint us all. All you had to do was die like a good de Rolo.” Anders backed into the corner. His voice was a poison. He wore a kevlar vest over his shirt. Pitiful. A coward until the end.

“Traitor.” Percy’s voice was low and commanding. “I trusted you as a child. You taught me everything I knew. Every time you _visited_  me in that cellar, I had a childish hope that somehow you would help me. Now I know that you never cared about the de Rolo family.”

The letter opener bit into his hand as Percy stepped so close he could reach out and touch the man who had tutored him since childhood. The man who had fuelled his interest in Engineering, encouraged him to tinker and to create, and who Percy had looked up to.

“You deserve this, Professor Anders. No de Rolo will ever bow to you. Not anymore.” Percy hissed, right before he slid the letter opener into Anders’ neck.

It felt poetic.

Anders had cut his sister’s throat. Percy had cut Anders’ throat.

Anders kept Percy’s gaze, the light slowly fading from his eyes. But he said one last thing.

“ _We die to rise again. We are his blood._ ”

“Not while I’m still alive.” Percy vowed. He dug the letter opener further into the man’s throat, not stopping until he felt the resistance of the spinal cord.

He watched as the life ebbed out of his former tutor. Watched as his body slumped to the floor.

He gripped the letter opener, numb.

The others managed to knock the guards out. Percy was only dimly aware of this as he used a stray corner of his shirt to clean the blood off the weapon in his hands. He barely registered Grog and Scanlan running out the door, calling out to Trinket as they went, as he cleaned his fingerprints off the weapon. Percy dropped the letter opener into the roaring fireplace, turning his back on it.

He saw Vax stand, clutching his side and lumber towards the door. Felt Vax stop and pull at his sleeve so his mouth was beside his ear.

“We need to talk about what just happened here, Percival.” Vax said, releasing Percy and moving on.

He saw as Vex walked over to Keyleth, who was kneeling beside his sister and alongside Pike. Saw as Vex declared her love for Keyleth and pulled her into a fierce kiss.

Percy desperately wanted to berate Vax for his recklessness. Wanted to shout and yell at him.

But Percy caught sight of his sister. Sat up and watching. The cloth around her throat wasn’t as red as he’d feared. Her eyes were bright with life and Percy felt the air escape his lungs in relief.

Beratement could wait.

Cassandra’s eyes found his and he could see the confusion on her face. The slight horror there. The lingering pain.

“Percy,” she said. Unsure, suspicious, hopeful?

“ _Hi_.” He said lamely, his eyebrows drawing together, almost in pain. His feet carried him towards her on their own.

“Percy.” She said, stronger this time. More hopeful.

“I’m so sorry.” Percy said, feeling the energy leave him as his feet sped up.

Cassandra pulled herself and closed the few feet between them, throwing her arms around his shoulders. She was still shorter than him, but Percy held her weight and her feet dangled just above the ground for a moment.

He could feel all her muscles tense as she clung to him for dear life. Tears began to well in his eyes as he held her just as tightly. His sister. His baby sister. _Cassie._ She was _alive_.

Cassandra was shaking. He could feel her shaking against him and he held her closer. Tried to protect her from the evil in this house, tried to protect her from the demons that he’d accidentally left her to.

“ _I’m so sorry for leaving you._ ” Percy whispered, his voice muffled against her hair. He hated those white streaks in her hair. Hated how much they reminded him of how his own began. Hated that his sister had been put through whatever she had endured.

“I thought you were dead.” Cassandra said, finally pulling away and taking in every change she could see between the nerdy older brother she could remember and who he turned into. Her eyes drifted to his hair and she gently shook her fingers through it, playfully. “I see we’ve both survived quite a bit. I almost didn’t recognise you.”

“I wouldn’t trade.” Percy said, thinking of what had happened to him when he was captured, what happened when he thought his sister had died, everything that had happened to him before he met his friends.

Cassandra’s eyes grew wide and she took the slightest step backwards. Her hands still held him, and she still shook just the slightest amount.

“My letter.” She said, both fearful and hopeful. “How did you find my letter? I-”

“Vax told us all about it.” Percy admitted, nodding towards the door. “The male twin. He works with the Emon Police and was there when your letter arrived. He saw the name de Rolo and he called me. We left the next day.” He felt the smallest, most hesitant smile on his face. “Here I am.”

“You shouldn’t have come here-” Cassandra’s hands shook harder and she tried to push him away but Percy still held onto her.

“Cassie,” he said, voice quiet and sincere. The childhood nickname rolled off his tongue and it felt strange to say it out loud after so many years, “I would _never_ have missed this. I don’t care what happens now. You’re _alive_ , and now I can rectify my mistake from all those years ago. I’m going to get you out of this house, Cassie, and I’ve going to make sure Whitestone is saved.” Percy promised. He’d never been more sure of anything in his life, but in that study, looking at his almost beaten sister… Percy had never felt such a fire in his gut. For the first time in five years, he had a _purpose_.

“Well, if we’re going to do this…” Cassandra said, finally pulling away from her brother and holding her hands in front of her. “Then I’m not leaving your side. Over the years I’ve stolen some letters from the Briarwoods and Professor Anders, and hidden them. There are a few in my room, some in Julius’ room. One or two in your workshop.” She counted off the rooms in her head as she spoke, mentally ticking off her hiding places.

“Cassie-”

“Percy, I thought you’d died trying to escape like I almost did.” Cassandra said, sounding like the stubborn young girl he remembered. “This is my home as well, and I’ve watched it fall into ruin under the Briarwoods. If we take this house back, we take it together.”

She sounded so strong. Percy could still see her hands shake just a little, but he had never felt more proud.

“Alright. We’ll collect the letters first and foremost. Then… Then we regroup and plan our next step.” Percy said, a little at a loss.

Cassandra nodded, more at ease now she had an idea of what to do. Her steps were sure as she walked towards the door, passing Keyleth and Vex.

Percy saw Keyleth stand up and walk towards him. She looked at him with an open, excited expression.

“Percy… you have a sister.” She gently shook his arm, her own happiness for him seeming to emanate from her.

“Oh god, I do.” He couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the closest I will write to No Mercy Percy in this au :/
> 
> ~~so much of this dialogue was lifted from the episode and just changed slightly it was surprising stressful~~


	12. Pellor, Forgive Me - Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the epic conclusion to this 5-part arc is here, and it's an extra long chapter to compensate :D
> 
> This arc has been pretty stressful to write and to translate from a magical setting, and considering how _epic_ the Briarwood arc is in the show, I always felt like my version is a bit underwhelming. But I've gotten some _amazing_ comments and reactions to it so I'm glad I stuck it out :D

Percy watched the people in the town square.

Police. Doctors. Residents.

Images played a slideshow in front of his eyes.

Vax, bound and carried over Lord Briarwood’s shoulder.

Cassandra, bound and being dragged by Lady Briarwood.

The stone slab in the temple underneath the castle.

Bodies that lined the walls.

Vex lying on the floor, unconscious but stable.

Grog cradling Vex in his arms as they ran down the tunnels.

Carrying Cassandra on his back and stumbling.

The Briarwood’s bodies lying on the ground, unconscious but bleeding.

Emon police finally arriving.

The formal arrests.

“ _Percy_.”

Percy blinked. He looked around for a moment before he saw the hand on his shoulder. Vax’s hand.

_Oh, Pellor_.

“We still need that talk.” Vax said, gently pulling on Percy’s sleeve. Percy let himself be dragged along the street and into an abandoned building. A thick layer of dust seemed to cover every surface and the only light was the setting sun that streamed through the broken windows.

Somehow, after everything, the weak sunlight seemed brighter. Like the sun itself had grown stronger with the downfall of the Briarwoods.

“Any news from the manor?” Vax asked, leaning against the wall beside the door, watching as Percy instinctively began to pace.

“They’ve sealed off the tunnels to the Ziggurat.” Percy said, absently running his thumb along his bottom lip. “I’m going to make plans to either have those tunnels collapsed or filled in at some point in the future. Whatever they were hoping to achieve down there, I want it destroyed. It nearly killed this town, and your sister, as well. The Cult of Orthax deserves to die.”

“How’s Cassandra?” Vax continued, his arms folded over his chest.

“Better than she was.” Percy said, a note of relief in his voice. “More herself, at least. She wants us to stay for Winter’s Crest in a few weeks and celebrate. After that… Part of me wants to ask Cassandra to stay in Emon with us. I have a feeling that we may have to split our time between Emon and Whitestone to make sure it’s governed properly. Once the railway is back online, that should be easier, at least.”

The room grew quiet as Percy ran out of thoughts to fill it with. The only sound was Percy’s footfalls as he paced the room, echoing on the bare walls.

Vax nodded absently, thinking through his next sentence.

“Percival, what the _fuck_ was this morning.” Vax asked suddenly, his voice forcing Percy to freeze and look up at him. “You _stabbed_ a man to death, right in front of us all. You never seem like a violent person, but-”

“I don’t know what came over me.” Percy admitted, pinching the bridge of his nose with a pained expression on his face. “That man… That man was my teacher, growing up. And I trusted him but he betrayed me and my family. I- I was angry, and hurt, and I’d waited five years to get my revenge. I’m only sorry that you all had to see me in that moment. When the law comes for me-”

“Vex and Grog destroyed the body.” Vax said bluntly.

“What?” Percy could feel himself freeze.

“They went back and cleaned the room. Grog burned the body in the fireplace and Vex knows her shit, so they’re not going to trace the murder back to you.” Vax spoke plainly, giving away nothing about whether he agreed or disagreed.

“Why would they do that?” Percy asked, failing to catch breaths. “Why would they _do_ that?”

“I don’t fucking know, ask them.” Vax said, pushing off the wall but not moving any closer. “Maybe they think that you’ve suffered enough. Maybe they think that if the Cult of Orthax could infect this town, that maybe there would be other people in positions of power that are a part of it. Or maybe they read those letters that your sister stole and know that there are people in Emon that would _not_ go easy on you if this came to court.”

“Who? Who's in Emon?”

“Daxio.” Vax said. “He has the power to influence the other members of the Council in Emon. Apparently, he’s been in contact with the Briarwoods for years. Percy... I want to know what happened. That night, when your family was murdered. You and Cassandra survived somehow… How did you do that?” He spoke hesitantly, unsure if he was stepping over a boundary somewhere.

Percy was quiet for a long moment. His chest heaved under his borrowed clothes. He balled his fist, opening and closing it slowly. He counted to ten as he took slow breaths, in and out. _In_ and _out_. _In_ and _out_.

‘ _I_ _nhale… And exhale… Inhale…_ And _exhale…_ ’

“I… I was not at the dinner that night.” Percy’s voice shook as he spoke. “Earlier that day, I had cut my hand in my workshop. It wasn’t a particularly _bad_ cut, but my parents wanted me to stay in my room and rest while they entertained the Briarwoods. Cassandra was still young - just turned eleven, I think - and she insisted on keeping me company while I recovered.”

Percy took another deep breath, blinking away the overwhelming emotions.

“We both sat in my room while the dinner happened. Sometime around ten o’clock, we started to hear shouting from downstairs. Then we heard screams, and footsteps running through the halls. Cassandra was scared, we didn’t know what was going on, but something was _wrong_. So I barricaded the door and told her to hide. I remember soldiers breaking down my bedroom door. I remember they attacked me and I lost consciousness. The next thing I remember was that I was locked in the cellar. I tried calling out for help, I tried prising open the hatch to the catacombs under the Manor, but my hand was still bleeding. I would have died in that cellar, if Cassandra hadn’t come for me.”

Vax took a step forwards. Tentative. Nervous. Restrained.

“You said that Anders ‘ _visited_ ’ you down there.” Vax said gently, as if he was trying to calm a wild horse. “How long were you kept down there?”

“A month? Maybe more.” Percy admitted. “I remember they used to send food down to me, and I tried to escape by attacking the guard. I woke up in chains after that.”

“What did they do to you, Percival?” Vax asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

“I- I don’t want to remember what they did to me, Vax.” Percy’s hands shook. He clasped them together tightly. “All I know is that my sister rescued me and we were shot at while we tried to escape. I don’t care how Cassandra managed to escape the Briarwoods for so long, or how she got the keys to free me. I don’t care about any of that now. All I care about, is that my sister is alive and she is safe. And that when our family died, it was _me_ in that cellar and not her. I fear what I would have done if she’d been hurt as much as I had.”

Then Vax didn’t something unexpected.

He hugged Percy.

Percy was still for a moment, before he very carefully put his arms around Vax. It was awkward in a way that meeting a friend for the first time is awkward. Out of their entire friendship group, Percy and Vax _did not_ hug. It was an unusual and precious moment.

“ _When we get back to Emon, I’m going to drag you to a therapist's office by your stupid white hair, if I have to._ ” Vax whispered, his face somewhat buried in Percy’s shoulder. His voice fond but also berating and Percy could only smile.

“If you must.” Percy said, resting his cheek on Vax’s shoulder.

Vax pulled away from the hug and took Percy’s face in his hands. There was a moment when they just looked at each other. There was something there, maybe. A new string of empathy that tied them together. Vax leaned in and kissed Percy’s cheek before slapping it gently and removing his hands.

“Come on, we should go see how everyone else is.” Vax said as he left for the door, leaving Percy alone in the room for a moment.

Percy followed.

 

Keyleth watched as Percy and Vax disappeared from the town square. She turned her head back to the Sun Tree in front of her.

Gently, _gently_ , Keyleth rested her palm on the tree’s trunk. Maybe she was looking to see if it felt different, maybe she was just doing it because she wanted to feel some kind of connection.

Her parents had taught her that nature created us, and nature could destroy us if it wanted to. Her parents had taught her to never destroy the land that allowed them to live, and Keyleth had grown up with her fingers stained green.

Most people called her parents hippies - most people called _her_ a useless hippy if she ever brought up plants - but it was deeper than that. Earth was a part of how Keyleth was raised, how she lived.

The bark under Keyleth’s palm felt rougher than it should have. She’s seen forest fires before: entire acres of trees glowing red and dangerous against the black smoke. Keyleth knew that trees could survive fire, if there was still some life in it.

Maybe that was what Keyleth was searching for under her palm: some promise of life.

Someone knelt down next to her.

They stood silently, but Keyleth could sense their presence and eventually turned to look at them.

Vex was looking up at the burned Sun Tree, her eyes distant and almost distracted. She frowned in thought and Keyleth waited to see if she would speak.

“I’ve been thinking,” Vex said eventually, not looking at Keyleth as she spoke, “about us, I mean. More about what we are to each other, I guess.”

“Well, what do you _want_ to be?” Keyleth asked, watching her. She was still touching the tree but Vex very timidly reached out and took Keyleth’s other hand in hers.

“More than we are now.” Vex admitted, finally forcing herself to meet Keyleth’s eye. “We’ve done what? We kissed at pride and-”

“You kind of declared your love for me up in Percy’s Manor.” Keyleth interjected.

“I did, didn’t I?” Vex said, a small smile on her face. “Oops.”

“Did you mean that? Or was it a ‘ _we almost died so I’m going to do something crazy_ ’ kind of thing?” Keyleth asked.

“I meant it, Keyleth.” Vex promised. “I really did. And I know that you’re new to relationships, especially ones with another girl. And we _both_ know that I’m not good at _keeping_ relationships, with anyone really. So I’m not going to ask you to do anything that you’re not ready for, because that would be unfair for both of us.”

Keyleth dropped her gaze to their joined hands. Her thumb brushed across Vex’s hand soothingly. She let Vex carry on and say everything on her mind.

“The only relationship that’s ever ended well for me was with Zahra, and even then we were only together for a month.” Vex said, rambling a bit as she went. “There’s one thing I know for _sure_ about us and that’s that I don’t want to fuck us up. I don’t want a month of being happy before I fuck it up and we can’t even look each other in the eye.”

Silence fell between them as Vex’s words hung in the air. Keyleth’s hand finally fell from the Sun Tree and fell to her side.

“I’d be lying if I said that often when I got to sleep, your face isn’t the last thing that crosses my mind.” Keyleth’s voice was soft and hesitant. “I- I like you Vex, but I’m out of my depth here. This is all so new and maybe I shouldn’t have kissed you at Pride because now I don’t know where the line is with us. I want- I want us to be something _more_ as well, but I never really knew how to, you know? I don’t know where friendship _ends_ and being lovers _begins_.”

“ _Kiki_ ,” Vex said, gently tilting Keyleth’s head up so they were looking at each other. “Being lovers doesn’t mean you can’t be friends. And… I’m willing to give us a chance if you are.”

Keyleth watched Vex’s expression for a moment before she very slowly raised her hand to Vex’s cheek. Tentatively, Keyleth leaned in and kissed Vex. It wasn’t an adrenaline fuelled, glitter-and-rainbow coated kiss like their past one, but it was still nice.

The ache in Keyleth’s chest seemed to ease as she realised that Vex wasn’t pushing her away, that she was kissing back. That she was resting her forehead against Keyleth’s and smiling at her.

“I’m game if you are.” Keyleth said. She stood up and helped Vex to her feet. Their hands stayed linked together and Keyleth looked up at the tree one last time.

Her eyes saw something she’d missed before.

She pointed at a faint hint of green on one of the lower branches of the tree. It stood out amongst the rest of the tree, just enough for Keyleth to notice it. She looked harder and saw other small, green buds along the branches. Out of place, but important.

A smile broke out along Keyleth’s face and she excitedly tugged on Vex’s arm.

“Do you see that?” Keyleth asked, pointing along the branches.

“See what? Those little nubs on the tree?” Vex asked, trying to see what Keyleth was so excited about.

“ _Leaves_.” Keyleth breathed. “Leaves are going to grow there in a few months. The Sun Tree’s not dead, Vex. At least not as dead as we thought.”

“Holy shit, Keyleth.” Vex could feel the excitement begin to infect her. “There’s hope for Whitestone, yet, I think.”

“Yeah,” Keyleth said, watching as the sun set behind the tree, making it almost glow in the dusk light. It was beautiful and ethereal and Keyleth desperately wanted to see the Sun Tree in the way Percy knew: in all it’s former glory. “There’s hope here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaannndddd _scene_
> 
> I don't think I'll do another epic multi-part arc for a little while, and instead I might do some that go into backstory because I'd love to flesh it all out. Maybe I'll introduce some peripheral characters with their own chapters (I'd love to have a Zahra and Kash chapter at some point of them being bros) also Gilmore has been shamefully absent, along with Kima and Allura, so I'll probably have some solo arcs for them at some point
> 
> I might take a little break from this because I'm going on holiday for a week on Friday, and I've got unfinished works for a different fandom that I've been neglecting a bit oops :/
> 
> thank you so much to everyone that left kudos or a comment so far, I love you all <3


	13. Let's Go to the Beach-Beach, Let's Go Get Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I went away for a week to Wales and came back yesterday _dead_ tired after waking up at 3am to watch Critical Role (bad move in hindsight since I then had a 7 hour train journey) and today I wanted to post this in celebration because Wales has some amazing beaches, but then I went out for a couple hours to catch pokemon with a friend that I haven't seen for 3 weeks, and then I actually had to _finish_ the chapter but it's here now!! brownie points for that!!
> 
> also I think I'll put something up based on the latest ep (63, I think it is) because god DAMN that tugged at my heartstrings a ridiculous amount.

Keyleth shook out her towel and laid it gently across the sand, weighing it down at the edges with her shoes. She immediately sat down on it and pulled her backpack closer.

Scanlan and Grog were already racing each other to the ocean. They’d barely stopped to discard their cover-alls and kick off their shoes before running down along the sand.

Kaylie had just rolled her eyes and settled down on her towel, tapping on her phone screen and occasionally taking pictures. Scanlan had given Kaylie an excuse to stay home if she wanted (provided she threw no parties in their absence) but for some reason, Kaylie had wanted to come with. Even if she did go on her phone the entire time.

Teenagers were _strange_ creatures, sometime.

Someone sat down next to Keyleth. She turned her head to see Vex gently reclining on her own beach towel.

“Thank _gods,_ it’s warm enough to do this again.” Vex mumbled, a pair of sunglasses over her eyes and her arm under her head. Something in Keyleth felt self-conscious of her one-piece swimsuit when she saw just how well Vex could wear a bikini. (Another, much louder part was just appreciative of said bikini and especially of _Vex_ in said bikini).

“Have you used sunscreen, sister?” Vax asked from the opposite side of their little camp. He had set up a parasol and was currently camping out underneath it like a vampire afraid of the sun. (He was also the only one who hadn’t stripped down to their swimsuits, only having taken off his shoes to walk across the sand).

Gilmore sat next to him, partially covered by the parasol. He was shirtless and wore purple swimming trunks as he stretched out his legs beside Vax. For some reason, he still wore almost all of the rings he usually did.

“Of course I have, brother.” Vex promised, not moving from where she lay. Keyleth watched as Pike finished setting up her recliner and quickly pulled off the sun dress she wore over her swimsuit. Keyleth was still shocked at just how low the v-neck went on it. Pike flashed her a grin before she began running down to where Grog and Scanlan were splashing in the water.

“Don’t blame me if you burn.” Vax said, still sulking under his parasol. Gilmore laughed and put his arm around Vax, pulling him closer.

Keyleth smiled as she saw Vax slowly begin to relax and sink into Gilmore’s embrace. She pulled a book out of her bag and crossed her legs on the towel, opening it to the dog-eared page.

Something ached inside Keyleth as she sat there, reading quietly. There was something missing and she knew exactly what it was.

Percy.

Percy was missing.

As per the last several weeks, he was in Whitestone for the weekend with his sister, trying to clean up the mess the Briarwoods left behind. At least the town was on the road to recovery already. New candidates for Mayor were slowly starting to come forward and a small council had been formed to govern the town temporarily before an election could decide the future Mayor.

He was doing good in Whitestone, but still Keyleth missed him dearly every time he left. She wondered when they had meant so much to each other, and she feared that it would change somehow. Now that Keyleth had Vex, and Percy had his sister back…

Would they still be... _them_?

Vex’s hand gently touched Keyleth’s back and sent a shiver down Keyleth’s spine.

“Sorry, darling, you just missed a spot.” Vex apologised, rubbing the sunscreen along Keyleth’s exposed back. She frowned at the distant look on Keyleth’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just wish Percy was with us. It always seems… _quieter_ when he’s in Whitestone.” Keyleth admitted, closing her book and looking at Vex.

“He’s due back this afternoon, isn't he?” Vex said, squeezing some more sunscreen onto her hand to massage onto Keyleth’s shoulders.

“I know, but it’s not the same.” Keyleth said, letting herself relax as Vex ran her hands over her skin.

They were quiet as Vex made sure Keyleth wouldn't burn in the sun, and Keyleth let herself sink into her thoughts. Children squealing in the water far from them, and people’s conversations whipped away by the wind, played in the background as they sat together in silence.

Keyleth blinked suddenly and realised that Vex had dotted her nose with the sunscreen.

“Hey, don't worry so much, Kiki. Everything turns out alright at some point.” Vex said, resting her hand on Keyleth’s knee.

“You better be right about that, Vex.” Keyleth said, a very slight playful tone in her voice.

“When am I ever wrong?” Vex asked, tilting her head back ever so slightly and smirking. She looked like something out of a glamour magazine and Keyleth leaned forwards to kiss her.

Vax wolf whistled at them and Vex subtly flipped her brother off over Keyleth’s shoulder. They could hear Gilmore laughing at that.

“Hey, not in front of my kid!” Scanlan’s sudden appearance separated them and Vex glared at him behind her sunglasses. “I don't want you swearing around Kaylie.” He said, sitting down heavily on the towel beside his daughter.

Kaylie rolled her eyes and shoved her father playfully.

“I've heard you say worse during slow traffic, Scanlan.” Kaylie said. Her arm hung over her bent knee and her phone hung loosely in her grip. The phone screen lit up and she quickly responded to whatever was on it, a _tiny_ smile on her face.

“I know I’m a bad influence.” Scanlan said, flopping down onto someone’s towel that _definitely_ wasn’t his own. “But these guys should know better than to corrupt my daughter.”

“Kaylie, what’s the worst swear you know?” Vax asked, pseudo-innocently.

Kaylie looked up from her phone, smiled sweetly at Vax and swore. Then she turned back to her phone.

A mother a little bit further down the beach glared at the group and covered her young child’s ears, completely ignored by everyone in the group.

“I think she’s fine.” Vax said, flashing a scowling Scanlan his award-winning smile.

Scanlan’s sandal was flung through the air but Gilmore caught it before it had a chance to collide with Vax’s head. He winked at Scanlan before gently tossing the sandal to Grog, who was walking back to the group at that moment.

Grog blinked down at the sandal in his hands. He shrugged and threw it down the beach towards the ocean. That caused Scanlan to jump up and stumble down the beach to retrieve his lost sandal, letting Grog reclaim his beach towel.

The whole time, the woman was watching the group with disdain.

Keyleth accidentally met the woman’s eye and she quickly looked away, turning her back on the group. Something about that action rubbed Keyleth the wrong way. Her shoulders hunched up and she felt Vex’s hand on her arm.

“Typical.” A new voice said, loosening the knot of tension in Keyleth’s chest by sheer proximity. “You arrive late and there’s nowhere to bloody park.” Percy bitched, walking around to place his things down on the sand. He looked slightly disgruntled but if his shorts and button-up shirt were anything to go by, he wasn't unprepared.

Cassandra quietly walked past the group and kneeled on the sand beside Kaylie. Keyleth felt sorry for Cassandra in a weird way: her world had been shattered and rebuilt just as quickly as Percy’s had, but Percy had a _family_ to fall back on. Cassandra had a whole new life to adjust to, alone.

At least Kaylie had instantly risen to the challenge of making Cassandra feel _normal_ again - at least as normal as they all could be. Some weird things had happened to their group, Keyleth mused as she watched the two girls strike up and idle conversation.

She noticed, for the first time, how _opposite_ the girls were: Kaylie lounging on her beach towel in a white, sleeveless shirt and loose harem pants and her hair cut close to her scalp with multiple piercings in her ears; Cassandra with her long hair tied back in a plait under her wide-brim hat and dressed in a short, blue frock that Keyleth had helped her pick out; Kaylie practically _oozing_ confidence that had only ever grown with her exposure to Scanlan’s own inflated confidence, while Cassandra was still trying to find her place in this new and bizarre world where her brother was alive and the Briarwoods were gone.

They balanced each other well.

“We weren't expecting you back until tonight, Percival. What changed?” Vex asked, lowering her sunglasses slightly to look at him properly.

“Well, I knew you all had planned this trip and I felt that Cassandra and I could use a break from politics for once, so we caught an earlier train back.” Percy admitted, slipping his shoes off and using them to weigh down his towel. By normal Percy standards, he was _severely_ underdressed. It was almost nice, really, to see him so relaxed for once.

“Percival,” Vax said, leaning almost out of Gilmore’s reach, “fancy a swim?” He spoke like a conspirator with a wicked grin on his face.

Keyleth noticed, a second too late, that Grog and Scanlan were not near them anymore.

Water poured over Percy and cascaded onto the sand around them all. Vex instinctively curled up to avoid it, pulling Keyleth back with her. The flow stopped just as suddenly as it started and a bucket fell to the ground beside Percy’s sodden figure. Both Grog and Scanlan took a few precautionary steps backwards from Percy’s hunched-over and unmoving figure.

Vax, meanwhile, was almost dizzy with laughter.

“I’m not sure what you’re laughing at, brother.” Vex said, nodding to something behind him.

Before Vax could look up, water gushed over his head as well, half-soaking Gilmore in the process. Pike kept a hold of the bucket, but she also took a few steps back to avoid the backsplash. It looked like she was barely containing her laughter.

There was a heartbeat of sheer silence before the laughter started.

“You little-” Vax, soaked through to the bone, leapt to his feet and scooped up Pike over his shoulder. She kept laughing as Vax marched down to the surf and up to where the water met his hips. He threw Pike into the ocean while she was still laughing.

Vax looked pleased with himself for all of five seconds, before Grog did the exact same thing to him.

“Well if everyone’s doing it.” Gilmore muttered, mostly to himself as he stood up and stretched his legs. He walked with absurd grace towards the ocean and made a beeline to the drenched and spluttering Vax who could only pull the hair out of his eyes.

Gilmore gently pulled Vax to his feet and gently pushed all the hair away from his face. He looked up at Gilmore, gently reaching up and holding onto the arms that were supporting him. Vax gently leaned up and kissed Gilmore, smiling ever so slightly when Gilmore reciprocated the kiss. Then Gilmore let Vax pull them both back into the water.

Percy flicked some dregs of water at Keyleth, startling her out of her thoughts. She looked over and saw a childish grin on his face that she hadn’t really seen before in full. His shirt was sticking to his skin and his hair was uncharacteristically flattened down.

“Race you to the ocean?” Percy asked, his glasses speckled with droplets.

“You’re on.” Keyleth said, not giving Percy any notice as she threw herself to her feet and began sprinting down the sand. Percy just laughed as he followed, trying to catch up.

The two teenagers watched what had happened with mirth and slight bewilderment. Cassandra laughed when she realised Kaylie was filming the entire thing on her phone. No one could see how close their hands were on the shared beach towel.

Slowly, Vex stood up and stretched out her back. She glanced down at the girls before moving her sunglasses up to the top of her head.

“Are you two going to join us?” Vex asked, tying her hair up away from her face.

“I think we’re alright here, thanks.” Kaylie said, looking towards Cassandra for confirmation.

“The journey back from Whitestone was a bit tiring, I think I’ll stay here. But thank you, Vex.” Cassandra said, tilting up the brim of her hat to look up at Vex.

“Alright then.” Vex said, looking just in time to see Keyleth beat Percy to the waterline and splash him with some of the water. “If you get too hot, feel free to sit under Vax’s parasol.”

She started to walk down towards the others, ignoring the turned heads and the disapproving girlfriends that glared at her and not their staring boyfriends. The teens watched their guardians paddling and throwing water on the others for a few more moments before they returned to their own conversation, amused smiles on their faces and a lightness in their chests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter AKA obligatory beach episode now that it's the middle of summer.
> 
> also, while these oneshots don't tend to follow a regular and set timeline, this is a good few weeks after the briarwood arc. also I'm not sure if it's ever really specified but I like the idea that winter's crest is towards the end of winter so that this timeline is a bit smoother oops :/


	14. Waters of the Womb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have I gotten more confident writing Scanlan and Kaylie Shorthalt? no  
> Am I writing an entire chapter dedicated to them? yes
> 
> in other news, I receive my AS level results in just under 10 hours and I was in tears yesterday out of pure _fear_. This was how I made myself feel better.  
>  in a rare turn for me, this is actually the second draft of this idea that otherwise would have happened before chapter 5

“Thanks for helping me, Pike.” Scanlan said, struggling to find the right key with just one hand. Pike stood behind him in the hallway, laden with shopping bags and holding them with an ease that someone of her stature shouldn’t _not_ have.

“It’s not problem,” Pike said, twisting her body a little to flash Scanlan a smile. He smiled back and quickly found the right key to let them into his apartment.

Except the door wasn't locked.

Scanlan frowned but didn’t mention it, pushing open the door. It swung open easily, and Scanlan could hear a faint and familiar voice inside. The knot of tension in his chest loosened as they both walked in, shopping bags in tow. Pike stumbled on ahead towards the kitchen with most of the bags, and Scanlan just walked into the living room.

“Kaylie? You here?” Scanlan called out, somewhat distracted by gently putting his bag on the floor by the door.

A slight ruffling sound caught Scanlan’s attention and he turned his head towards the sofa.

His keys slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor.

Kaylie was in fact, there. Sat on the sofa, half-glaring at her father with foreign lipstick smeared around her mouth. She was reclined on the cushions, her shirt pushed up just a little bit over her jeans waistband. Oh yeah, and Cassandra de Rolo was lying on top of her.

The moment Scanlan’s gaze flickered to Cassandra, both girls seemed to snap out of their haze and sprung apart, shuffling to either end of the sofa. Cassandra very hurriedly righted her clothes, doing up the top button on her blouse for added modesty. On the other hand, Kaylie just leaned back against the sofa, roughly pulling her shirt into place and trying to pass off her embarrassment as rage.

“Hey girls.” Scanlan said, trying to pass off his surprise as…. _milder_ surprise. “I was thinking about ordering something in tonight for dinner. Wanna join us Cassandra? Pike and Grog are coming ‘round.”

“Thank you for the offer, but Percy should be home by now and I promised him I would help with dinner. I should probably go now.” Cassandra said, standing up and awkwardly nodding towards Scanlan. It was too formal compared to Scanlan’s home and lifestyle, but it was something that Scanlan had associated with Percy so it made sense. “Thank you for inviting me.” She added respectfully.

“Well alright, you’re welcome anytime.” Scanlan said, smiling at her good-naturedly. Cassandra smiled back and hastily left the apartment, not turning to look back at Kaylie.

As soon as the door shut behind Cassandra, Kaylie shoved herself to her feet and began to storm off towards her bedroom.

“Thanks a lot, Scanlan.” She grumbled. He waited until he heard the bedroom door slam before he forced himself take a deep breath. Then he walked into the kitchen to face the amused Pike who was currently putting away his groceries.

“You handled that pretty well.” Pike said, gesturing to him with a bag of carrots that she was halfway to putting away.

“You knew?” Scanlan leaned against the kitchen counter and ran a hand through his hair, pulling it out of its bunch as he did so.

“Oh yeah.” Pike said, a small laugh in her voice. “Everyone comes to me for relationship advice, for some reason.”

“Even Kaylie?”

“Even Kaylie.” Pike said. “No teenager’s going to go to their _dad_ to talk about their crush, Scanlan.”

“I just want her to know that I’m a supportive father,” Scanlan said. “Or I’m _trying_ to be, at least. I’m so new at this, Pike. What if I mess it up?”

“You’re doing a good job so far.” Pike said, sidling up beside him and gently patting his arm. “And, between you and me, you’re not going to mess it up because, even if you do, Kaylie has the rest of us to turn to.”

“I guess.” Scanlan agreed reluctantly. “I should go talk to her. Make sure she knows that we’re cool.”

“Alright.” Pike said, giving him a reassuring smile. “Do you want me to stay?”

“I think I can handle this.” Scanlan said, tying his hair back once again.

“Okay, we’ll be back in about an hour.” Pike said, walking towards the front door.

It closed softly and Scanlan took a deep breath in. He let it out. As much as he teased her for it, Keyleth’s little meditation thing was helpful.

Scanlan gave himself another thirty seconds to think through what he was actually going to _say_ to Kaylie when he knocked on her door. When those thirty seconds were up, he forced himself to knock on Kaylie’s door.

“Hey Kaylie, can I come in?” Scanlan said through the door. No reply. He raised his hand to knock again when the door creaked open. Kaylie’s eye peered at him from the gap, red and tearstained.

“Yeah. You can come in.” Kaylie said quietly, disappearing from the doorway and leaving it open.

Scanlan gently stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Out of everywhere in the apartment, Kaylie’s room was the messiest. Fact.

Clothes were strewn on the desk chair and a few articles littered the floor. Books almost spilled off the shelves and piled themselves beside the bed. The few pots of makeup that Kaylie possessed were stacked somewhat neatly on her desk beside her laptop and a vanity mirror that Keyleth had refurbished. Her school bag leaned against her desk and her homework was resting on top of it, half finished and forgotten.

Scanlan felt a weird sense of pride when he saw the messy room: it meant Kaylie was comfortable in their shared home.

Kaylie sat on her bed with the pillows propped up behind her back. Her head rested on her knees as she hugged them tightly. Carefully, Scanlan walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, facing her. She didn’t really react to the action.

“Sorry if I spooked you before.” Scanlan said, trying and failing to find a way to kickstart the conversation.

“You’re alright.” Kaylie said, not really looking at him as she spoke.

Scanlan waited another ten seconds before he hatched a plan. He leaned back slightly and smiled slightly.

“ _So_ …. You have a crush on Cassandra de Rolo.” It wasn’t quite a question, more an educated gamble. Kaylie just laughed and threw one of the pillows from her bed at Scanlan’s head. It didn’t hit him hard but it set them both off laughing.

“Shut up, you old fool.” Kaylie said, much more fondly that she had once said it.

“Seriously, Kaylie, if I knew that I would invite them ‘round a lot more than I do.” Scanlan said.

“It’s not that, Scanlan.” Kaylie said, wiping the residual tears from her face. She shifted so she was sat cross legged and rested her elbows on her knees.

“Then what is it?” He asked, gently poking her knee. Kaylie was quiet for a moment as she tried to put her thoughts into some form of a line.

“I didn’t want to chance it in case you reacted badly. I wanted to _tell_ you, not have you walk in on us when we’re kissing.” Kaylie said, finally looking her father in the eye.

“You thought I wouldn’t accept you if you told me you liked girls?” Scanlan repeated, honestly stunned.

“I know it’s ridiculous,” Kaylie said, wiping her eyes once again, “but Ma took a long time to accept it and I didn’t want to go through that again.”

“Kaylie,” Scanlan said, turning serious for a moment, “ever since you came into my life I have accepted and loved _everything_ about you. You’re my daughter, and I only wish that I’d known about you sooner. I don’t care if you like girls or guys or people who aren’t either a guy or a girl, I’m certainly not one to judge. I don’t care if you tell me one day that you’re not actually a girl, I’ll help you in _any_ way I can. This doesn’t change anything, Kaylie.”

There was a beat of silence before Kaylie surged forwards and threw her arms around Scanlan’s neck. She was crying again, but for a different reason this time. Without thinking, Scanlan’s arms wrapped around her and held her tightly. A strange urge to confront Sybil; to make her understand that their daughter was amazing just as she was an _nothing_ could change that.

“Thank you Scanlan.” Kaylie said, pulling away from him and wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “You old fool.” She added, pushing his shoulder playfully.

“I will say one thing, kid,” Scanlan said, a playfully-serious tone in his voice, “if you keep making out with Cassandra in the apartment, give me a heads up so I don’t interrupt, okay? That or keep it in your room, I don’t want to kill your chances.”

“Scanlan!” Kaylie sounded pleasantly annoyed, unused to having a parent as a wingman.

“I’m serious, Kaylie.” Scanlan protested. “If you like this girl I’m not going to stand in your way.”

“That reminds me, don’t tell Percy about this, will you?” Kaylie said. “Cassie hasn’t told him yet.”

“As long as I’m there when he figures it out just to see his face.” Scanlan said, making a mental note of ‘ _Cassie_ ’.

“Me too.” Kaylie admitted, a smile on her face now.

“Come on, you get to chose what takeout we have tonight.” Scanlan said, standing up from the bed. He extended his arm towards Kaylie and, with a sly grin that Scanlan had seen a lot in photos of his youth, accepted the help to her feet. With a bout of bravery and affection, Scanlan wrapped his arm around Kaylie’s shoulder as they walked to the living room.

His smile grew when Kaylie let him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realised today just how much _fun_ I have writing these oneshots. No drastic change of scene, no pressure to make everything link up, endless inspiration, no strict timeline restricting me... it's so much fun  <3
> 
> (also idk but young and confused little lesbian daughter with her charismatic and loving pansexual father is a very important dynamic to me)


	15. Tale as Old as Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shaun Gilmore? I think you mean my actual precious child? (says the 17 year old)
> 
> finally, the Gilmore chapter that I have promised and finally came through on. I started writing this and it just kept growing....
> 
> (also, for anyone interested, my results were really good!! Cs in Further Maths and General Studies (that I was going to drop anyway lol), Bs in Physics and Maths, and an A in Computer Science!!)

Gilmore met them slowly.

The first of them he met was Percy, strangely enough. It was a week into the school year and floods of students were in his shop, picking out textbooks and preparing for another year. Familiar faces stopped to chat with him for a few moments, talking animately about upcoming classes and lecturers they were excited for or dreading. Other graduates exchanged their old textbooks or picked up some casual fictions, giving out tidbits of advice to the fresh faces and Gilmore smiled as he watched a recent graduate warn a young woman about a certain club in town that double-charged for drinks and had gross bathrooms.

That was the best part of being the shop owner, Gilmore always thought, as he watched students mingle together and pay for their new notebooks, textbooks and fancy stationery (that would largely go unused). Business was always good with students. Especially when it was so close to the university campus and his prices were the fairest in the whole city. The café adjoining his shop didn’t hurt, either.

Gilmore’s Glorious Books was booming, and Shaun loved every day.

He remembered meeting Percy that first week, because he was the only one in the shop at the time. It was about an hour from closing, but most of the students were already in a club somewhere or drinking in shitty apartments somewhere else. (Gilmore remembered it fondly).

Shaun sat behind the till, idly flipping through a book of his own (an old romance novel that someone had dropped off but wasn’t nice enough to sell). The story wasn’t bad but some of the erotic scenes were badly written and almost laughable.

The white haired boy in the long coat wasn’t looking at him, though. He was too busy focussing on the list in his hands and the books on the shelf in front of him. He held a few in his arms already and frowned at the shelf. After a few minutes, Shaun bookmarked his page and slipped it onto the shelf under his desk. The last time he had left his reading book out in the open, Sherri had berated him for a week.

He walked up to the student and put on his best smile.

“How can I help you?” Shaun asked, keeping a respectable distance away from him. He looked a bit older than most first-years. Maybe twenty years old. Not that it was too strange - plenty people took a year or so off before attending - but to be that young with white hair that didn’t show the signs of bleaching was a bit strange.

The man blinked and focused on Shaun. His wire-rimmed glasses didn’t do much to make him look his age, but Shaun couldn’t deny he was good-looking. Not really his type, but that wasn’t really the issue at hand.

“I’m trying to find these textbooks and I can’t seem to find this one.” The man said, showing Shaun the list and gesturing to the one that wasn’t crossed out. It was a fairly uncommon book for a class that not that many students took, especially in their first year. A lot of copies weren’t shelved, in favour of more common textbooks.

“Why don’t you put your books at the front while I have a look in the back for this one.” Shaun suggested, his award-winning smile on his face. The man nodded and followed as Shaun walked up to the counter and began to carefully pile his books up on it.

The book _was_ in fact amongst all the others that hadn’t been displayed yet and Shaun picked up the nicest-looking copy before he returned to the front of the shop. The student was looking at the small display of leaflets on the counter with an idle curiosity.

“Lucky you, we still had some.” Shaun said jovially, placing the book on the counter with the rest. He noticed the student looking at the leaflets as he started to ring up the books. “Oh, the university asks me to display them.”

“I can’t imagine a lot of people actually pay attention to them.” The student admitted. He looked tired and Shaun could see the slight bags under his eyes. There wasn’t much of a sparkle in his eyes, just some bone-deep emotion that Shaun didn’t know well enough to properly label.

“You’d be surprised.” He said, deftly slipping a leaflet on ‘ _adjusting to university life_ ’ into the textbook he was currently ringing up. “A lot of students hang around in here, even if it’s just to get a coffee or for some advice.”

“Do a lot of people come to you for advice?” The student asked, more to make conversation than anything else.

“A lot of first year students always feel a bit in over their head in these first few weeks. Sometimes talking to someone can just help.” Shaun said casually as he put the textbooks carefully into a bag. He suddenly leaned forwards on the counter to the student holding one of them. “A word of advice, a lot of other Engineering students say to take _this_ book to every lecture, but the rest of them could be left in your room to just take notes from.” He leaned back and showed the student the front cover to make sure he remembered, before putting it into the bag.

“I appreciate the heads-up.” The student said, blinking a bit at the sudden and helpful advice. Shaun just smiled and turned the bag around so the handle was facing away from him.

The student paid for the textbooks without saying much else, and he took the bag, tucking it under his arm. Shaun watched as he paused by the door for a second before pushing open the door and disappearing into the night.

A smile formed on Shaun’s face as he leaned back on the chair he had behind the counter and went back to reading.  

He met the twins not too long after.

The shop was a bit busier then but they still managed to catch his eye. They looked a little older than most of the students there, and Shaun assumed they were transfers who wanted to do higher degrees at the university. The girl twin was picking out books and passing them to the boy twin to carry, much to his annoyance.

Shaun tried to watch them as naturally as he could while helping the customers that bought everything from fantasy books to dictionaries for different languages. He thought he was being inconspicuous, but he still felt Sherri elbow him in the back as she passed.

“ _Best behaviour, Shaun._ ” She hissed as he went. He just laughed and went back to helping the customer in front of him, who had heard what Sherri had said and glanced over to where Shaun had been looking.

“I mean, fair enough,” they said, shrugging as they paid for their classic literature books.

Shaun just let it go and focused fully on shortening the line of people wanting to buy his wares.

The crowd thinned a lot and Gilmore let himself begin to relax. At least, he did until the twins approached the till with their books. The girl was looking at him with a knowing look while her twin fumbled a little with the books. Shaun reached forwards and took a few of them, placing them on the counter to be helpful. (He could almost _feel_ the look Sherri was shooting him).

The boy twin just looked up at him when he realised Shaun was helping and they locked eyes for a moment. Just a moment before Shaun forced himself to look away and begin the transaction. The girl twin looked smug somehow and Shaun caught a glimpse of a blush on the boy twin’s face that must have been from embarrassment.

Shaun didn’t say much as he scanned the books, but he could see the twins whispering to each other. The girl said something to her twin and then turned towards Shaun, leaning on the counter.

“We’re a bit new to the area, are there any good places to get a drink nearby?” The girl twin asked, winking at him as she did. Shaun was so caught off guard that he just laughed gently. (The male twin seemed to snap to attention at that, for some reason). The twins looked old enough to drink so Shaun didn’t feel guilty about telling him about the few near campus and the nicer ones in the centre of Emon.

“And then there’s Howarth’s on the other side of the city.” Shaun said, finishing up the transaction.

“Howarth’s?” The girl twin repeated, the word awkward on her tongue. Shaun nodded and his smile was back. That bar was a bit under the radar and he didn’t want to spoil the surprise.

He watched as the girl twin paid for all her books with an almost pained expression on her face as her twin smirked at her. They took the books with a final smile and a wink and some part of Shaun knew that he’d see them again. Or he hoped at least.

He met Keyleth when she came in looking for some... _unusual_ books.

Now, let it be known that Gilmore’s Glorious books carried all kind of books and asked no questions. So when the red haired woman came into his shop looking for books about witchcraft and gardening, Shaun knew he was going to have a fun day. It was always fun when people came in looking for things Shaun could talk for _hours_ on.

He talked with her for almost an hour as he helped her pick out a few books on the history and practices of witchcraft (even some more modern ideals as well) along with books on the basics of gardening. Shaun _loved_ customers like that, and he especially loved their surprise when he had all the knowledge straight away.

(It was days like those when Shaun praised his History degree.)

The red haired woman talked with him enthusiastically and seemed to know a fair bit herself, much to Shaun’s delight. She paid for the books and showed up the next day with fragrant flower petals in a small pot. Shaun was touched, even more so when she explained that it would keep bad energies to a minimum, or at the very least, would smell nice.

Sherri wanted to throw it away, or at least keep it out of sight, but Shaun had insisted it stay by his counter. He was the one who manned it all the time, anyway. So the flower petals stayed, and they didn’t fade. At least not at the rate they should have.

Then, much like falling in love, Shaun met the rest of them all at once.

It was at Howarth’s, of course, and he was there to have a drink with Allura and Kima, obviously. It was a regular thing for them: meet up at the end of the week, get just a little tipsy and talk about the highlights of crazy shit that had happened since they met last. Kima would talk about the people who would call the station with the most bizarre emergencies; Allura would talk about funny things that happened during her lectures or that her students emailed her; Gilmore would talk about the few problem customers or the students that would shop in their pyjamas and talk to him about the strangest things.

Then one time Kima was retelling the time a woman called the police because she couldn’t find her glasses, when Allura caught sight of one of her students. Well, the student caught sight of her and she noticed them not long after. One of her best students, apparently: amazing thirst for knowledge, if a little bit strange in his methods. (Tiberius? Was that his name?)

Then the student was followed by a group, and the group invited them for a drink. Kima recognised one of them in the group (the male half of a pair of dark-haired twins, a colleague she talked about fairly often) and immediately sat down beside him, making the decision for them. Allura had just smiled at Gilmore and dragged him over as well.

And the rest, they say, is history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> almost from when I created this fic and this universe, I loved the idea of Gilmore just owning a bookshop. it could have been a knick-knack shop, but I thought books would be cooler purely because of that atmosphere book shops seem to have, you know?
> 
> also, sorry if the ending seems a bit rushed - there's some drama going on in my life rn and i was super conscious of the word count


	16. Green Thumbs and Tired Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you know how last chapter I hinted at Keyleth being a bit witchy?? And a few chapters ago I did as well?? Yeah....
> 
> ~~I know jack shit about modern witches and/or wicca I'm so sorry I tried to research it but I couldn't find much. However, I _do_ know a bit about gardening ~~
> 
> edit: kinda spoilery for ep 64 towards the end

Keyleth straightened her back. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her dirtied hand.

Soil coated her palms and stained her bare shins. But it was worth it, when Keyleth stood back and admired the row of flowers she’d just planted. It was always worth it to see dying plants bloom again. Every flower that was past its prime in every gardening centre Keyleth could make it to somehow wound up there: in Keyleth’s little plot of land on the edge of the city.

Sometimes the owners of nearby allotments would come to Keyleth for advice, or for help planting and harvesting small bouts of their homegrown crops. Every time, Keyleth would happily help. She would even gift them a flower if they were particularly nice to her.

(One time, a nice old lady came by with a homemade cake as a ‘ _thank you_ ’ for helping her save a tomato plant that had become ill. Her friends bought her drinks the night she shared the cake with them.)

She remembered coming to the allotment for the first time. It had been abandoned by the previous owner and left in shambles. It had taken _weeks_ to make it right: sort out the greenhouse and make it usable again, make the soil fertile again, fill the flower beds so the path to the greenhouse was lined with everything from Carnations to Tulips.

Other gardeners used their allotment to grow small batches of crops, maybe a rose bush here and there. Keyleth grew all her herbs inside the greenhouse. Rows of basil and coriander and mint for cooking; roots and herbs that she’d read about in spells for good luck and prosperity in love.

Keyleth still felt a small tinge of happiness when she remembered Vax coming home from his first date with Gilmore while they were all hanging out, blissfully unaware of the small pouch in his bag as he talked about how well the date had gone. She still remembered the sigil she had carefully drawn in Vex's and Percy’s notebooks just before he passed all his exams. And the small spells she would cast while thinking of Pike and Grog, letting them find enough money in their budget to pay all their bills and rent and have a fair amount left over.

No one knew about the spellbooks Keyleth stashed in her greenhouse and under her bed. She never told anyone about the crumpled up pages of failed sigils and runes as she tried to perfect them. Or about the crystals she hid around her apartment to keep it cleansed.

It wasn’t that she was afraid of what they would say (though that was a _little_ part of it), it was that _this_ was a part of her that she wasn’t ready to share. It always felt stupid to think that when she was out of the closet and dating another _woman_ , but she couldn’t bring herself to disclose this _one_ part of herself yet.

Percy knew. Percy knew everything about Keyleth.

She’d told him everything and he told her everything. Even if he didn’t believe in it, or think that it would work, Percy let her get on with it. Didn’t object to the crystals and flowers around their home, or bother her when she was at her allotment.

He _accepted_ her. Just like Keyleth knew the others would. She was just waiting for the right time to mention it. (She thought about waiting until their next drunken night in, which seemed like a good plan when she thought about it more).  

Keyleth appraised her small garden once more before she turned and stepped through the door of her greenhouse. _Instantly_ , sweat began to form on her skin from the heightened temperature. Her shorts and tank top usually gained disapproving looks from people on the street but they were only for when she worked in her greenhouse.

Rows and rows of small plant pots lined metal shelves along the walls. A low, wooden desk was installed at the far end: distressed, and a bit old, but beautiful. Keyleth sat down on the wooden stool in front of it, taking a second to gently run her finger across a growing shoot that had germinated in one of the cracks in the desk.

_Life will grow anywhere if it is determined enough._

Her mother’s words came to her and Keyleth felt comforted somehow. It was strange how a lost woman’s words could mean so much to her.

Keyleth turned away from the shoot and looked towards the ten flower pots in front of her. Ten Succulents in the ten pots. Each had a small strip of masking tape on the pot and a name written on it carefully.

She pulled two of them towards her. The bigger of the two plants had the label ‘ _Percy_ ’, and Keyleth smiled as she inspected it. For a long time, it had been ill. Some weird marks on it and it got infected easily. But since Whitestone, the Succulent had been nothing but healthy; so much so that Keyleth had been able to take a cutting from it and plant it in the pot labeled ‘ _Cassie_ ’. Both of them were growing strong and it made Keyleth’s heart feel warm.

The other Succulents were strong as well, with one or two exceptions. The Succulent labelled ‘ _Kaylie_ ’ had turned a little bit brown in recent weeks, and Keyleth made a mental note to drop by Scanlan’s and see if she was alright. It might have been the stress of school but she wanted to make sure.

Keyleth frowned when she pulled the Succulent with the ‘ _Tibs_ ’ label towards her. It was worrying her. Slowly, the plant had been losing its green. Then, all at once, it began to die. No amount of care or sunlight or medicine seemed to be able to reverse the progress.

It hurt to see the plant die, and Keyleth had tried to reach out to Tiberius to see if he was okay. Letters, phone calls, emails. Never a reply.

Keyleth put the Succulent back in the line and watered it. One day she’d talk to Tiberius again. She made that promise to herself.

She pulled a book towards her and a small notepad and began to write down notes on the plants around her. It was her routine. Keep track of growth and her observations.

Keyleth could spend hours on that stool, just writing about the nature around her. She would have done then, as well, if she didn’t have a hot date to get ready for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I might do an arc or a _long_ chapter looking into some character history and backstory pretty soon. idk, I did answer that one tumblr ask but I think I'd like to flesh it out a bit more (and I have a lot of the Pike  & Grog bit actually written because it was in my head) 
> 
> The succulent thing was based off that one text post that I'm too lazy to find right now about the OPs friend who would name succulents after her friends and if one of them started to look ill, it would be because something was going on in the friend's life that was upsetting them. idk it just seemed very Keyleth 
> 
> also as soon as this is posted, I'm probably going to take a nap so I can watch the new ep live :P


	17. Of Memes and Messages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AKA the most millennial thing I have ever written

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS SO MILLENNIAL but I saw an instagram aesthetic post and I couldn't help but think about what their accounts would _actually_ look like
> 
> I'm almost embarrassed by how much thought I put into this considering the only sleep I've gotten today is a 5 hour nap because I was up at 2:30 am to watch the Liam one shot

Keyleth was the most active on social media out of all of them.

Her snapchat was forever filled with pictures of the plants she grew with their name as the caption and a saturated filter overlaid, or pictures of her friends lounging about or with funny filters playing with their faces (she saved every single picture). She would take selfies when she was drunk, or get someone else to take pictures when she could no longer be trusted with her phone. The videos on her story were thirty seconds of Trinket performing a new trick that Vex had taught him; or Percy explaining something complex with the caption something along the lines of “ _and in English please?_ ”; or long strings of aggressive swearing from Grog and Vax as they played against each other in Mario Kart or some other co-op game (even the ones where you needed to work together, they communicated in curses only).

Her snapchat was for little everyday moments. Her instagram was for the moments she wanted to remember.

Vex with messy hair in the morning as she ate breakfast before a lecture; Percy after he’d fallen asleep surrounded by bolts and tools and printed out schematics; all of them sat around tables eating together during Winter’s Crest; that one time Trinket has almost smothered Scanlan simply by sitting on him; the clouds during one of the worst thunderstorms in Emon’s history; Whitestone Manor covered in snow; Cassandra and Percy making dinner together and laughing; Vex falling asleep on Keyleth during a movie night and Trinket falling asleep on her; Grog bench pressing Pike.

Each photo was saturated with colour and half of them were blurred. They were never perfect, but they were beautiful to look at.

Her twitter and facebook were _filled_ with social commentary. Political posts Keyleth felt strongly about shared with small comments added in agreement. Responses to people who tried to shut her up or shut her down. Arrangements for peaceful protests and marches. Occasionally birthday messages to loved ones.  

After Keyleth, Pike was one of the most active, but not on as many sites. Her twitter was filled with long conversation threads with her friends, or retweeting Scanlan and Grog’s funny and goofy tweets.

Her instagram was filled pictures of her adventures in cooking with the recipe attached, or of Grog and her pulling funny faces/wearing fake mustaches together/Grog carrying her around on his shoulders, or of Scanlan and Kaylie together, or of the intricate plaits and hairdos that Vex and Vax performed on themselves and others.

She frequently tagged her friends in posts she thought they’d like. (The others loved seeing the notification and seeing what made Pike think of them).

Surprisingly, Grog liked to use snapchat and instagram as a means to communicate with people. He liked just taking pictures of something pretty or shiny and sharing it with people, or seeing pretty pictures that other people had posted. The photos were blurry or a bit out of focus or off-centred, but they were never meant to be perfect.

The twins, funnily enough, seemed to find a perfect balance between ‘ _never online_ ’ and ‘ _it’s 3am why are you still posting memes on twitter_ ’. They would frequently tag each other in posts or retweet something the other posted, if only to tease the other.

Vax would frequently stay up late flirting/messaging Gilmore or posting blurry pictures of Grog when he was sure it wouldn’t reach him in the morning. He would frequently change his username but never his profile picture. (It would forever remain a picture from pride: of him standing beside his sister, his arm around her shoulders while Gilmore hugged him haphazardly and Keyleth kissed Vex’s cheek. Flags flew proudly in the background, and it was one of Vax’s favourite pictures ever taken of himself.)

Vex’s twitter feed was almost entirely comprised of pictures of Trinket, and she had no plans to change that. Sneaky pictures taken of him when he was asleep, short videos when he rolled in the grass at the park, pictures of Trinket sitting on Grog as he tried to exercise with the caption “ _he’s helping_ ” repeatedly (once a video of Grog doing pushups while Trinket sat on his back as Scanlan did the commentary in the background and Keyleth lost her shit laughing).

Sometimes the twins would hold competitions with each other and try to out-do each other in these pointless tasks. The worst (best) times was when they ended up narrowly avoided burning the apartment building down when trying to out-cook each other.

(The snapchats during those mini competitions were a wild ride to watch.)

Scanlan and Percy didn’t go online much.

Percy would created accounts to satiate Keyleth and would very occasionally log on, but to catch Percy being active was a rare thing. If he ever posted, it was a subtle and vague comment, or an outright accusation towards Vax, usually, over stolen tools/books/clothes. That or a picture that Keyleth had taken of him that he didn’t actually hate and could bare to share with the world.

Scanlan had almost all forms of social media and would tend to limit his interaction with his immediate family/close friends and, occasionally, his co workers. He liked to talk to Kaylie easily when he didn’t have custody of her, and he liked it when he saw Kaylie tagging Pike or Keyleth in something, or when one of the others would see something that she would like and tagging her in it. It reminded him that they were all a big family.

Kaylie and Cassandra were online almost as much as Keyleth, though it was usually to talk to each other or to a group chat with friends from their school. They would post pictures together when they hung out in a group, or sent each other candid pictures of the world around them. Kaylie would send Cassandra memes she’d stolen from Vax’s twitter, and made it a personal mission to readjust Cassandra to being a modern teenager - even if she didn’t know the reason why Cassandra sat too straight, or folded her hands in front of her, or rarely made eye contact and stayed quiet.

(The crown jewel of their conversation history was once Cassandra managed to take a somewhat blurry picture of Percy mid-sneeze that looked like he was dabbing. Kaylie had almost cried when she saw it and _immediately_ showed it to Scanlan.)

They both would stay up messaging each other, sharing links to funny videos and occasionally calling each other from their rooms like teenagers from old movies. Percy and Scanlan would smile if they saw them laughing at their phone, or if they could hear quiet conversation and laughs from behind the closed door.

It felt nice to stay connected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ~~i can't get the image of percy accidentally dabbing out of my head help me~~ )
> 
> ~~this did not take me long at all to write does it show?~~
> 
> Keyleth is highkey a sjw  
> so is Scanlan, but lowkey


	18. The Kids That I Once Knew - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Healer and the Brute: the Early Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in between chapters, I went back to school, started year 13. It's alright so far.  
> my family kind of got some bad news (subjectively) tonight indirectly and I've got some mixed feelings about it. I won't disclose what it is, but I needed to distract myself a little.  
> the bulk of this chapter's been done for a little while so I just finished it and read through it a couple times. this series probably isn't going to be sequential because I have a couple ideas in my head rn but idk :/
> 
> lot of blood and wound talk in this chapter, be warned

It was silent except for the ringing in Grog’s ears. He _wanted_ it to stop, but every time he shook his head to ward it off he felt dizzy.

Grog watched as Pike carefully dabbed the sterile cloth to his bleeding and bruised knuckles. She was gentle, flinching in empathy whenever Grog hissed in pain. His hand was so _big_ holding her little ones and Grog hated it, suddenly.

Hated his size, hated just how _big_ he was. How much muscle mass he had and how tall he was. It wasn’t the first time he’d ever hated something about himself, but that didn’t stop his mood slowly crashing.

(Losing a match always seemed to have that effect on him.)

“Hey, Grog,” Pike said, her voice hushed. She didn’t look up at him, instead focussing intently on Grog’s hand in hers. “You did really well today, buddy. I’m really proud of you, you know.”

Grog lifted his head and watched Pike for a moment. Her short and spiked hair had started to grow out and she was less ‘ _pikey_ (as Grog had gotten into the habit of calling her) than she used to be. Not that she was ever spiky in the first place, really, only her short and wild hair. Pike was all softness and gentle and all the nice things in the world that people ignored or thought of as weakness.

“Thanks.” Grog said, his speech just a little slurred. Enough to make Pike frown and look up at him. “It’s nothing. I’m fine, Pikey. Really.”

“I wish that the referee would stop the game when it gets _too_ violent.” Pike said, leaning off to the side and picking up another, clean cloth. “Last time someone broke their leg and two people ended up sitting in an ambulance. I don’t want that to be you, Grog.”

Pike shuffled closer, almost sitting on Grog’s knees as she gently dabbed away the dried blood under Grog’s nose. She huffed and actually _did_ sit on his knee, holding his face gently with one hand to keep him still. Even then, she was a good few inches shorter than Grog.

Deep down, she always thought it was unfair that Grog had been lucky and shot up at age fifteen, and a year later had grown again. Meanwhile, Pike had slowly struggled to reach an average height. People didn’t seem to believe that she was seventeen, and actually older than Grog.

“It’s not going to be me, Pike.” Grog promised, trying to look her in the eye. “Whatever happens out there, it’s all just a bit of fun. Rugby’s rough, but I love it.” He smiled at her despite the split lip and winced. The taste of copper was still hanging around in his mouth.

The lucky thing was, compared to the rest of the team, Grog had walked away without a scratch by comparison. He was lucky. Or incredible skilled.

Pike knew that, rationally. _Ir_ rationally, some part of Pike wanted to stop Grog from playing another match. But she couldn’t ask that of him. She didn’t want to.

“I _know_ , Grog.” Pike said, dropping her hand and meeting Grog’s eye. “I guess I’m just worried for you. It’s what I do. I worry, and then I patch you up afterwards and we go for ice cream.” She tried for humour but Grog could see the small crease in her brow.

There were many things Grog wasn’t good at: reading, writing neatly, avoiding a fight, respecting teachers that tried to imply that he was stupid (though Pike had a tendency to have problems with that as well). But Grog was _very_ good at reading people he cared about.

Especially Pike.

“Pike…” Grog lifted his hand and touched her shoulder gently. “Is there something else?”

Pike couldn’t look him in the eye. He dropped his hands and clenched the edge of the stool he was sat on, ignoring the spark of pain from the action.

“You don’t hear what they say about us.” Pike said quietly. She looked up but not at Grog. At the small wound she went back to cleaning, distracting herself. “The other kids at school. They never say anything to your face, but I hear what the girls say... On the plus side, half the girls in our year would kill for a date with you.”

Grog blinked in surprise and Pike laughed, just a little. It wasn’t fully a victory, but it was enough.

“Well, my team mates call you an angel.” Grog said honestly. He omitted the fouler things they used to say before Grog made it _clear_ that no one was safe if they objectified Pike Trickfoot anywhere near her brother.

“I know that’s not all they call me.” Pike said, a bittersweet smile on her face. “People think that I’ll either end up as some housewife somewhere, or in a house alone with a dozen cats.”

“You won’t be alone.” Grog said, a sloppy smile on his face. “I’ll be there too.”

This time Pike did smile. She looked Grog in the eye and saw nothing but the distilled love he had for her. There was a bond between them that people had tried to hack away at almost since they met.

Back when Grog was just some ‘ _gypsy thug_ ’ feared by the little old racist women down the street and Pike was some poor, sickly girl to be pitied because her parents weren’t around.

Back when the city seemed so much bigger and her grandfather seemed so much sadder.

Back when their small family was just three lost people taking each day as it came.

“It’s me and you, buddy.” Pike agreed, nodding resolutely. “Forever.”

“That’s right.” Grog said, wrapping his arms around Pike and pulling her into a tight hug. He leant his head on her shoulder and Pike pressed herself into his neck.

They held onto each other for a long time, just existing and sharing the same space. Pike remembered being much younger and sleeping in the same bed because she was scared of a thunderstorm and Grog couldn’t bare to hear her cry. She remembered being young enough to climb trees together and using skipping ropes to make sure they didn’t fall (they still did sometimes, but they always bounced back). She remembered being little and sitting in a big hospital room, wires and machines monitoring her heart and Grog sitting beside her as they watched a film on the tiny hospital TV.

It scared her to think that they didn’t have long left before they were adults. Before they moved out and got jobs.

“Pike? Promise me that when we’re older that we’ll still hug each other.” Grog said quietly. “I like your hugs.” He mumbled, almost quiet enough to go unheard.

“Of course we will, Grog.” Pike promised, not giving it a second thought. “And we’ll still hang out and watch TV together and eat ice cream together too.”

Grog nodded against her shoulder. He was smiling.

“ _Page? Greg? Are you home?_ ” The familiar voice of Wilhand called up the stairs. Grog pulled away first, still holding onto Pike as she leaned away to reply.

“We’re up here, Papa!” Pike called out, throwing the bloodied cloth into the sink to deal with later. “Come on, Grog. Why don’t we watch a film tonight?” She suggested, pulling herself together.

Grog stood up from his stool and casually swept Pike up into his arms, placing her over his shoulder. She started to laugh as Grog simply left the bathroom and walked down the stairs, carrying her like she weighed nothing.

She was laughing too hard to mind, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you google rugby players a) be careful because there are most likely pictures of bloodied players and injuries and b) the rugby player physique is pretty much how I see Grog in this au especially since my school has a lot of rugby players and I know the archetype pretty well :P


	19. The Kids That I Once Knew - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vex and Vax; the prequel (sorta)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been so long since I've updated this fic please forgive me ;__;
> 
> And this chapter was really hard to put together for some reason, and school, driving lessons and DMing is taking up a lot of my time for this fic so oops :/ I almost subbed another chapter in that I've had on the back burner for a really long time that I want to save for a little bit
> 
> (reminder that Vax = Dan and Vex = Talia just in case the name changes are confusing)
> 
> Also warnings for transphobia in this chapter

Vax stood in front of the bathroom mirror. The pair of scissors shook in his hand.

He grasped his hair tightly and held it out.

He could do it.

It was just hair.

It would grow back anyway.

He could do it.

Vax deflated.

He couldn’t do it.

Vax took a deep breath, closing his eyes to compose himself. The scissors clattered into the sink. His gripped its edges tight enough to hurt as he bowed his head. The sorrow racked through him, but he desperately tried to contain it.

The door behind him opened and he didn’t open his eyes as he felt arms close around his waist and the weight of head on his shoulder.

“Don’t listen to him. What the hell does Father know? He’s a backwards, pompous old fuck.”

Vax smiled and lifted his head to look at his twin.

“Thanks, Talia.” Vax said, roughly wiping his face.

“I’m serious, brother.” Vex raised her head and looked him in the eye. “His opinion of you is _worthless_. He doesn’t know a damn thing-”

“He called me his daughter again.” Vax blurted out, looking away from Vex and back at his own reflection. “He sent me away when I corrected him. He’s _disgusted_ by me, he hates me-”

“That’s because he’s a hateful person, Dan.” Vex said. She held her brother’s gaze in the mirror and she could see the unshed tears. “ _Nothing_ he thinks is _ever_ a reflection of you, brother.”

The similarities between them had stayed fairly consistent over the years: the same skin tone that was too much their father and not enough their mother; the same dark hair that they both wore long but pinned back (Vex in a plait, Vax in a ponytail); the same bright eyes that they saw their mother in.

But it was the differences that had just started to creep up on them.

Vex’s made up eyes; Vax’s artificially flattened chest; Vex’s widened hips; Vax’s gangly limbs.

Vex’s natural femininity. Vax’s artificial masculinity.

One of them praised. One of them threatened. Both by their father.

Vax looked away from the mirror and let himself lean into his sister’s side. He felt her arms wrapped around him and just held him close. He took a deep breath.

They had each other.

They always had each other.

He let his chest deflate, feeling the shift of the binder underneath his shirt. A constant pressure - at least one that he was okay with.

Vax kept breathing deeply. Vex gently held him, waiting for all the anxiety to leave him. Eventually, Vax calmed.

“Promise me, Talia, that one day we’ll leave this place.” Vax said.

“We will leave here, Dan.” Vex promised. “Soon. I promise.”

“Where should we go first?” Vax asked, his shoulders relaxing as his sister held him.

“We could go see mother again.”

“Well that’s a given, isn’t it?” Vax smiled.

“Hmm… In that case, I’ve always wanted to go to Emon.” Vex said. She sounded wistful. “That’s where I wanted to go to University.”

“It’s a good forensic school?” Vax asked, frowning slightly.

“It’s not the best, but sometimes it’s more about the location, you know?” Vex said. “Have you thought anymore about it?”

Vax sighed heavily, feeling the weight of all his expectations fall on his shoulders once more.

“I don’t know, Tal.” He said. “I really don’t. I just don’t think it’s for me.”

“That’s okay.” Vex said. “That just means we’ll have to work a bit harder before we’re millionaires and living in a mansion that’s better than this shithole.”

Vax huffed out a laugh and stood up straight. His sister’s arms fell from around him and they stood for a moment, just looking at each other.

Everything had been so hectic. Their father and his attitude towards them. The other kids at school and their sharp words. The too-big house and the absence of their mother’s kind words.

At least they only had a year left before they were adults and could leave that wretched place.

A year until freedom.

A year until their father had no control over him, Vax could start seriously considering if he wanted a permanently changed body, Vex could begin to follow her dream.

Just a year.

Just one more year.

“We can make it, right?” Vax asked. His eyebrows creased and he looked pained. “I mean, we can make it another year. Just until we’re eighteen.”

“We’ll leave the night before our birthday, and be long gone before he wakes up.” Vex promised. “That fucker won’t be able to come after us.”

“And you’ll get into Emon, and I’ll get a nice job,” Vax said, letting the fantasy grow and evolve in their mind.

“And we’ll get a pet that we’ve always wanted.”

“We’ll have more rooms than we’ll know what to do with.”

“And we’ll never have to rely on anyone else for the rest of our lives.”

They stood there in that bathroom. This perfect life seemed so far away, but they still thought about it. Still entertained it. Still _dreamed_ of it.

It was _just_ out of reach. Close enough to yearn for it.

“It’s getting late,” Vex said gently, looking out the window at the fading daylight.

“You’re right.” Vax said, following her gaze. The distant woods were illuminated by the dusk rays and they both felt a very base desire to _leave_ and hide in those woods until the world stopped being painful.

“Do you want to build a fort?” Vex asked suddenly. She forced herself to look away from the forest and back to her reality.

“What?”

“Like we used to do when mother was working late. I think we need it right now.” Vex said. Her voice was soft and Vax was suddenly worried that there was something bothering her.

But he nodded and reached out for her.

“I’ll steal the snacks if you start setting it up.” Vax said, smiling again.

“Deal.”

The night grew cold as the twins looked up at the shadows they cast on the blankets above them. No matter how old they were, something about staying up late and shadow puppets were always going to be a private favourite.

Their pyjamas were old and the pillows comprised their mattress. It wasn’t overly comfortable, and their father would be angry at them in the morning, but they didn’t care as they lay there, giggling in the night like the children they were meant to be.

The laughter grew quiet and they lay in the semi-darkness, listening to the other’s breathing.

“Dan?” Vex broke the silence despite her hushed voice.

“Yeah?”

“Can I tell you something? It’s pretty important.”

Vax reached out and clutched Vex’s hand tightly in the darkness.

“You can tell me anything, Tal.”

Vex squeezed her brother’s hand and took a deep breath.

“I like girls.” She said. “And boys. I like girls and boys.”

Vax shuffled closer in their fort and pulled his sister into a firm hug. He could feel the tears on her face and let her bury her face in his shoulder.

“ _Well that’s another thing we have in common._ ” Vax whispered, mostly to himself.

Vex laughed slightly despite her shaking. Neither of them pulled away from the other.

“We’re too alike for our own good.” Vex said eventually.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, sister.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy coming out day from your favourite (bi) fictional twin half-elves!
> 
>  
> 
> ~~I'm ace surprise~~


	20. Vetted Care

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't plan to update this quickly, especially with a short chapter, but this was the only way I could be cathartic, really. And hey, it's more productive that crying hysterically in my room.
> 
> Honestly, my cat had to be put down today. It was the kindest thing to do. We had her for thirteen years and I'm still just trying to process it. So naturally, I vented my feelings with _another_ bad memory I have (my dog getting run over a couple years ago - he's still alive and well tho don't worry) and projected it onto these poor, defenceless fictional characters.
> 
> the only warnings I can think of is if you've ever had a beloved pet in the vets then this probably won't be a fun read.

Vex’s eyes were red and the dispensed tissue clutched in her hands was stained black and beige. Mascara stained her face and her hair was falling out its plait.

Vex forced herself to take a shaky breath and counted the seconds on the clock.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

Four minutes.

Five minutes.

Six minutes.

Scanlan’s head lolled onto her shoulder and she smiled.

He’d fallen asleep in his chair somewhere around eleven o’clock, snoring ever so softly in the dead silence of the waiting room.

Vax was barely keeping himself awake in the chair on her other side, occasionally sending off messages to the rest of them with progress updates. But his eyelids were drooping and he kept having to shake himself awake.

Grog’s terrified phone call and Percy’s shaking voice haunted Vex’s head.

“ _Trinket got run-"_

Vex breathed.

Pike’s gentle hold as Vex cried in grief. Percy’s endless calls bringing people together and trying to keep some insurance person on the line. Grog’s apologies and his childish, terrified look on his face. Scanlan’s call to action. Vax leading her.

Vex shook those thoughts from her head. They’d drive her mad otherwise.

The ticking of the clock was the true only constant. Vex began counting again.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

Four minutes.

Five minutes.

Six minutes.

Another text message for Vax.

Seven minutes.

Eight minutes.

Nine minutes.

A loud snore from Scanlan.

Ten minutes.

Eleven minutes.

Twelve minutes.  

Thirteen minutes.

Fourteen minutes.

Another text.

Fifteen minutes.

Sixteen minutes.

The door opened.

Vex looked up. Her hands shook and tears welled up in her eyes again.

Vax sat up, his full attention on the woman walking through the door. He tried a warm smile at her but his tiredness won over.

Keyleth walked over and stood in front of Vex. The scrubs she wore were crumpled and dirtied with (what was almost definitely Trinket’s) blood. Her hair was pulled back from her face but the exhaustion was beginning to show on her features.

“How is he?” Vax asked, shaking Scanlan awake behind Vex’s back. Scanlan startled awake, blinking furiously as he tried to focus on his surroundings. The leather of the chair creaked as he sat up straight.

“Trinket’s stable.” Keyleth said, crouching down in front of Vex and gently taking her hands. Vex let out a shaky breath, one hand coming up and covering her hand as tears rolled down her cheeks. Keyleth smiled. “I’ll spare you the details, but there was a lot of damage that will take some time to heal. He’ll probably need to go to some kind of physiotherapy for a while and we’re going to keep him in for a little while to make sure every _stays_ okay.”

“ _He’s okay_.” Vex was barely audible through her sobbing and laughter that mingled together. “ _He’s okay._ ”

Vex pulled Keyleth towards her and embraced her tightly. Keyleth braced her hands against Vex’s knees so she wasn’t pulled off balanced, and just let her girlfriend sob into her shoulder.

“Can we go see him?” Scanlan asked, finally awake enough to be responsive. His hair had fallen out of his ponytail and hung down around his face loosely uncharacteristically.

“He’s sleeping off the sedative right now,” Keyleth said, standing back up once Vex had released her. “And it’s probably not the best thing right now. But if he’s more alert tomorrow and, then I’ll see what I can do.”

Vex caught Keyleth’s arm and looked up at her with watery eyes. Her makeup was a mess and she couldn’t stop smiling.

“ _Thank you, Keyleth._ ” Vex whispered. “ _Thank you so much._ ”

Keyleth smiled and squeezed Vex’s hand back.

“Go get some sleep, all of you.” Keyleth said gently, seeing the bags under Vax’s eyes and Scanlan’s covered yawn. “We’ll call you in the morning.”

“When he wakes up,” Vex began, furiously pawing through her handbag and pulling out an old square of material. A blanket. “Can you make sure he has this? It’s his favourite blanket and he really likes it.”

Vex held it out like an offering for the gods, her hands still shaking with relief. Her nails were bitten and chipped and her breathing was still just a touch ragged. The tears on her face were drying and sticking.

Keyleth took the blanket and nodded solemnly at Vex.

“I’ll make sure he’s not without it.” Keyleth promised. “Now go home. Get some sleep.”

Vex nodded and let her brother drag her to her feet. He didn’t let go of her as they both started walking back towards where Scanlan was parked.

But Scanlan waited until the door of the Vet’s shut.

“How long will it take him to be back to normal?” Scanlan asked, not quite looking at Keyleth.

“A couple weeks.” Keyleth admitted. “He’ll need a lot of help before he’s back to chasing pigeons with Grog again.”

Scanlan made a noise of acknowledgment and quickly stifled a yawn.

“Thanks for letting us stay here, Kiki.” Scanlan said.

“Thanks for looking after them while I was in there.” Keyleth said, affectionately patting his shoulder before gently pushing him towards the door. “Now _sleep_.”

“Alright, I get it. Night Keyleth.” Scanlan said, waving at her over his shoulder as he followed the twins.

“Night Scanlan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember when my dog was run over, my mum went in and asked the vets to let him sleep with her scarf because it smelled of her, and that really sticks with me for some reason. 
> 
> This last week or so has been a really tough time and I'm really sorry for the angst in this chapter, but I'm really hurting and this is safer than a lot of alternatives tbh. We had that cat for most of my life. She was the biggest bitch of a cat I've ever known and she rarely let you show her affection, but just her presences in the house will be so fucking hard to recover from. I was making a cup of tea and turned around, expecting to see her beside her food bowl and just started crying. 
> 
> I'm sorry for venting this out here I'm sorry.


	21. Trick Or Treat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory Halloween chapter (AKA the spoopening)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm not the biggest fan of Halloween (never have been really) but this year, I'm feeling it. So here, have some spooky Halloween spirit

“Alright, hang on,”

Kaylie sat up. Her legs were tangled with Cassandra’s on Percy’s sofa as the adults milled about in various stages of dress-up. She fixed Cassandra with a disbelieving stare.

A classic Halloween film was playing on the TV and the radio played spooky songs that were nothing but ambiance. A bowl of ‘treat-sized’ chocolate bars lay between them in a pumpkin-decorated bowl that Keyleth had put together lovingly for trick-or-treaters and both teenagers dipped into it freely.

“You’ve _never_ been trick-or-treating.”

“Not really.” Cassandra admitted, looking up at the ceiling and smiling nonetheless. “I was too young before, and Halloween wasn’t really a priority for Whitestone when the Briarwoods were in charge.”

“Well I think that decides it.” Kaylie said, detangling her legs and standing up. She pulled her hoodie down back over her stomach and reached out towards Cassandra.

Cassandra sat up and raised her eyebrow towards Kaylie. But she still reached forwards and let Kaylie take her hand.

“SCANLAN!” Kaylie shouted, gripping Cassandra’s hand and pulling her towards the door. “WE’RE GOING TRICK OR TREATING! AND I’M GOING TO RAID YOUR WARDROBE!”

“Okay! Keep your phone on you!” Scanlan shouted from the kitchen, somewhere.

Percy was stood by the door, adjusting the black cape that Vex had somehow talked him into. He saw Kaylie dragged Cassandra towards the door and smiled around his fake, pointed canines. Cassie slowed down as Percy called her over and covered her mouth as she took in Percy’s new Vampiric look.

“‘ememmer oo-” Percy tried to say, but the damn teeth kept cushioning his words. He fished them out and tried again. “Remember to keep your keys on you, Cassie. I’m not sure what time I’ll be able to get away from this party, but there’s food in the house and some money in the cupboard if you want to order something.”

“Thank you, Percy.” Cassie said, giving her older brother a quick hug before Kaylie grabbed onto her sleeve and dragged her towards the door.

“Wait, wait!” Keyleth called out. The sound of careful pattering footsteps quickly grew louder and Keyleth skidded around the corner. Her white-tiger costume with the matching facepaint was painstakingly constructed and the snow white ears clashed against her red hair. It was pretty cute, actually. “I left some cosplay stuff in Scanlan’s room so you can use everything that isn’t in the black bag, but you may have to use belts and stuff to make it fit.”

The girls left not long after that, smiles and small giggles following after them.

Scanlan walked out of the kitchen, adjusting his wig one final time before standing proud.

“We ready to go?” He asked, his hands on his hips in the cockiest stance the man could do.

“I’m ready,” Keyleth said, picking up her purse (white, furred, striped) and slinging it over her shoulder.

“I’m still not overly fond of your choice of costume, Scanlan.” Percy said, pulling his cape closer around him. The teeth were safely stowed in his waistcoat pocket and the thin trails of fake blood on his chin were sticky and uncomfortable. Honestly, he was struggling to remember why he was partaking in this forsaken holiday.

“Why? It’s awesome.” Scanlan protested, adjusting the coat self-righteously.

“Guys, we can talk about it at the bar.” Keyleth said. She had her keys in her hands and a childish expression of excitement on her face.

“Alright,” Percy relented, following her out into the hallway. He made sure to place the trick-or-treat bowl outside the door as he locked it.  

The bar was one of the bars near the University that Percy would sometimes frequent with a Lecturer or another person on his course after a long day, but not one he would seek out for a good time. Inside, it was usually always slightly busy but with a soft murmur for a backing track. A lot of people drank beer and read books tucked away in some small nook. Food was served just as frequently as alcohol.

But that night, thick strings of cotton hung from every surface. Toy spiders and crows were dotted around. The small tealights on each table were replaced with small jack-o-lanterns. This Is Halloween played over the speakers that Percy didn’t know existed until put into use. People milled about in costume and in regular clothes, staring at the costume-clad people milling around.

Keyleth spotted the rest of the group first, leading the way over to them. Vex’s wide-brimmed witch’s hat almost knocked Keyleth’s cat ears off as they kissed in greeting.

Their table was in the corner of the bar’s patio courtyard where almost everyone who wasn’t sat down with a drink had a cigarette in their hand. Trinket sat with his head in Vex’s lap as she gently scratched the top of his head. Foam had been curved and molded and spray painted to look like armour. (Percy knew distinctly that Keyleth had a hand in that.)  

“Erm, Scanlan,” Grog said, dressed in a tight Batman suit complete with the stiff mask, “what are you meant to be?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Scanlan asked, gesturing to his formal attire and white wig. “I’m Percy.”

“I see it now,” Pike said around an apple she won from the bowl of water beside the bar.  The green body paint was starting to rub off slightly and her hair was still a bit wet from her bobbing victory, but Scanlan had to appreciate the torn up purple shorts and green sports bra.

“Where’s Vax?” Percy asked, settling into a chair beside where Vex and Keyleth sat cuddled up. Vex’s dress sparkled in the jack-o-lantern light and her ‘magic broom’ rested against the table.

“He’s spent last night at Shaun’s.” Vex explained, raising her voice just enough to be heard over the music. “He said he might come along if he felt up to it.”

More drinks were ordered, half-drank, and then abandoned at some point during the night. Trinket fell asleep curled up beside Vex’s chair, his lead tied around the table leg. (As if that could stop him.)

Percy and Scanlan’s phone lit up at the same time with a message and similar photos. It showed their two girls: Cassandra dressed in a long Cinderella dress and Kaylie’s arms around her dressed in a formal suit as her Prince Charming. Both of them had bags in their hands that looked like they had the same kind of sweets that Keyleth had stocked up the apartment with.

Around ten, Vax and Gilmore showed up. Vax wore a Hawkeye outfit (the bow obviously stolen from his sister but no arrows, thankfully) and revelled in the glare that Grog shot at him from across the bar. Gilmore had all eyes on him when he stopped before the table and threw off the heavy cloak around his shoulders to reveal Dr Frank N. Furter’s iconic look from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

He’d changed the look just a little: softer make-up, slightly lower heels, simply tying his hair up. But he made it work. And the eyes never seemed to leave him.

“You should wear that to work.” Percy teased, drawing his cape closer as a chill in the air picked up. He was in awe of how _exposed_ Gilmore was in the chilling air.

“That’s just unfair on the students, Percy. How are they meant to focus on their studies if I’m dressed like this?” Gilmore gestured to himself with the arm that wasn’t holding Vax close. He crossed his legs and the whole image was slightly intimidating.

When Percy stumbled home later that night, he almost forgot to be quiet. Slowly, he pulled off his shoes, deposited the cloak on the ground where he could deal with it in the morning, and padded his way through the apartment. He spotted a pizza box in the kitchen and peered into the living room.

Twin, soft snores from the sofa. Two girls, still in costume and twined around each other as witches cackled from the old Halloween film playing on the TV.

Percy turned it off and pulled one of Keyleth’s knitted blankets off the armchair to keep them warm. He sent Scanlan a text to keep him informed and finally, _finally,_ went to go sleep off the Halloween spirit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was pure indulgence for me, at least
> 
> If Pike is the Mum Friend, Keyleth is the Cosplay Friend and Halloween is her time to shine


	22. Rememberance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori."_   
>  _"It is sweet and honourable to die for ones country. "_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's Remembrance Day tomorrow (11/11) and I've been thinking about it a lot. (I also realise this may be Anglo-centric, because I'm not sure if Remembrance Day is a thing anywhere else).
> 
> It started to remember the fallen soldiers in the First World war and hope that there were no more wars. But then war kept happening and the poppies kept growing. And now, I know it as a symbol of remembering people who have died for a cause. This year there's been a campaign for today's veterans and their fallen friends, and I had an assembly about it today. It focussed a lot on PTSD and the lasting horrors of war. 
> 
> What that was trying to say was, I've been feeling low and tomorrow is something that always really affected me. I am against any militia and a pacifist by nature, and seeing the WW1 and WW2 memorials around my school and city have shaped my views on it. 
> 
> The long and the short is that I wanted to write something about remembering the fallen and how compassion will always trump hate, and I'm just low rn so this is a bit of a bummer :/

Percy held the flower in his hand.

He’d been putting this off for as long as he could. That was a mistake on his part, really.

He should have been smarter and realised that denying this moment would only make it worse.

(If he had his own way, Percy would still be in Emon, burying his emotions and ignoring the incessant phone calls and texts from Vax - unfortunately, Percy’s therapist had a unique way to make Percy see sense.)

Cassandra took his hand and Percy looked over at her.

She’d put on weight in the months that they’d been reunited, and the clothes she wore were much more modern than what they had found her in. Before, she was too malnourished, too fearful, too… _sad_. Before, Percy had looked at his sister and seen someone who had spent too long under the thrall of someone intent on taking all the innocence she had.

But now…

Percy watched Cassandra for a moment as she placed the flower on the ground in front of them. She looked healthier. There was a glow about her that Percy had never seen before. Her room was slowly filling up with clothes she picked out, with makeup she chose, books she liked, homework she didn’t want to do, the small picture frames that she cared for lovingly, various trinkets that had just amalgamated on any available surface. Cassandra smiled like the little girl who would run around with her siblings and who could make friends with anyone who paid attention to her.

She was _happy_ , Percy had realised the first time he heard Cassandra and Keyleth laughing in the kitchen together in the early hours of the morning.

Cassandra squeezed his hand and leaned into his side as she looked over the words inscribed in front of them.

“Do you think of them?” She asked, her voice a little shaky. Percy squeezed her hand back.

“All the time.” Percy said. “I would never forgive myself if I didn’t remember them.”

“I think about Mother sometimes.” Cassandra said, leaning her head against Percy’s shoulder. Percy stayed quiet; he let her just talk. “I think about those bedtime stories she used to tell us. About the hero and the dragon.”

“Was that the one when a dragon ruined a city so the hero decided they needed to find their six most trusted allies to take down the beast?” Percy said, almost reciting it from memory.

“Because dragons are vulnerable to things in sevens.” Cassandra said, sniffing and wiping her nose with the cuff of her jacket sleeve. “And then the heroes had to work together to take back their city from the evil dragon so they could save the day.”

There was a moment’s silence between them as they both remembered their Mother almost _dancing_ around their room, acting out this ferocious battle to her starry-eyed children.

Percy remembered the times when their father would help with the sound effects, or would play the part of the dragon himself. Cassandra remembered when the eldest of the siblings would sit her on their laps and hug her tight as the story played out.   

“You know, when Mother first told me that story, there were only four heroes.” Percy said. He twiddled the flower in his hand absently. “She added the other heroes when you were old enough to start listening to the story.”

Cassandra was quiet.

Percy let her think.

“Where do you think they’re now?” Cassandra asked, brushing her hand over her eye.

“Somewhere better.” Percy said with the same certainty he told her when he promised they would be alright, that night in the woods.

“Should we…” Cassandra asked, trailing off awkwardly.

“Say something?”

“I know they can’t hear us, but…” Cassandra leaned away and looked up at her brother. “It feels like we should say something.”

Percy nodded and, for the first time, looked at the plaque in front of them.

Archibald had proposed setting it up in the first place. Just on the side of the Lady’s Chamber. He wanted something to honour them. To honour the people who had lived and died under the Briarwood’s rule. Names had been lovingly carved into the Whitestone slab. Dozens of them. The de Rolos. People contracted by the Briarwoods who never returned to their families. People who tried to fight for their town and never lived to see it liberated.

Chalk graffiti surrounded the plaque.

‘ _We miss you’_

_‘De Rolos save this town’_

_‘Pelor saved us’_

_‘Briarwoods will burn’_

Percy’s eyes found a small chalk drawing near the bottom.

A small chalk drawing of the de Rolo crest shining down on a small host of stick figures.

Percy cleared his throat and looked back up at the names.

“Well, they were brave. Every single one of them. And they didn’t deserve this. They deserved better than the Briarwoods, and I hope that now they’re gone, that these people find peace somehow. And I hope they know that the world is better now, if only slightly.”

Percy cleared his throat again awkwardly. Cassandra squeezed his hand.

“I miss you.” She said, her voice cracking just so slightly. “And I hope you're with the heroes now.”

Percy nodded absently, looking down at the flower in his hand. He crouched down and placed it on the ground beneath the plaque beside Cassandra’s.

“Are you sure poppies are appropriate?” Cassandra asked, watching Percy stand back up and pretending she didn’t see the wetness on his face.

“In a way, yes.” Percy said, brushing the tears away. “They were victims of a war that was never theirs. And this time of year is about remembrance.”

“I suppose.” Cassandra said. A cold wind cut through their jackets and Cassandra huddled closer to Percy instinctively.

“Should we head back to the others?” Percy asked, casting one more look at the names before him.

“Please.” Cassandra said, letting Percy take the lead.

Two poppies lay on the ground beneath the plaque.

The words ‘ _WE WILL NOT FORGET_ ’ watched over them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the de Rolos fought their own war and won. 
> 
> You can too. Even if you need a bit of help.
> 
> Stay strong, buddy <3


	23. Good Grief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, an apology: It's been over a month since I've updated anything and I am very very very sorry for that 
> 
> secondly, an explanation: well, first I got ill, and then Pokemon Sun and Moon came out and that took up all my spare time, and I've been planning and playing D&D on my days off school because the Party's busy on weekends, and last weekend my family received some really bad news about my dad and his deteriorating health so I've been really off the mark all week. A lot of this chapter is based on my family and myself dealing with this grief without closure and trying to keep it together when you just _can't_
> 
> Thirdly: I just want to say, to everyone that will read this chapter, and has kept with this series for as long as they have, thank you. The comments and love I get on this fic are sometimes the only things keeping my going, or writing just that bit more of something, or to even keep thinking about it and throwing around ideas. You guys drive me, and right now I cannot be more grateful for that <3 you are all amazing and I want nothing but the best for you <3 <3

Keyleth was used to early shifts. Especially during the winter.

Waking up when the sky was still dark; pulling on a big, soft jumper (stolen from Vex, naturally); padding around as quietly as she could in her big fluffy slippers as she prepared herself for work.

It was no different when she half-asleep and padded into the kitchen to find Cassandra hunched over a bowl of cereal.

There was an awkward moment when they both stared at each other, equally feeling like the deer and the headlights.

“Hey,” Keyleth said, breaking the spell over both of them.

Cassandra hastily wiped her mouth and swallowed the spoonful she was eating.

“Hi.” She said eventually, clearing her throat when she realised it was hoarse. Keyleth smiled and began to brew the coffee that would keep her awake and alert until the sunrise.

“Set your alarm too early?” Keyleth asked, cringing at the loud noise the coffee machine made as it heated the water. She should _really_ replace that one of these days. Preferably with a nice new fancy one that did iced tea as well.

“I haven’t slept yet.” Cassandra admitted, taking more measured bites of food now that there was a witness to her bad teenager eating habits. (It delighted Keyleth more than she would ever admit that Cassandra felt comfortable enough to eat a lot - like any other teenager.)

Keyleth glanced at the clock and frowned. 3am. On a Thursday night. Technically Friday.

She was no professional but she was pretty sure Cassandra should be asleep by now.

“Oh. Something you want to talk about?” Keyleth asked, digging around the mug draw for her thermos flask. It was around here somewhere-

“Actually…”

Keyleth almost hit her head on the drawer leaning back to look at Cassandra. She _never_ opened up to Keyleth emotionally. Pike? Yeah. Gilmore? For some reason, a lot of the time. Percy? Hopefully more often than she knew.

But Keyleth wasn’t high on the list when people wanted sage advice.

She tried not to let her excitement on her face when she listened to Cassandra.

“I’m assuming that Percival has told you of what happened to our family,” Cassandra said quietly. The cereal bowl sat in front of her, next to her phone, “of what the Briarwoods did to them. It was around this time of year. Tomorrow, as a matter of fact. The anniversary of their deaths, I mean.”

Cassandra was beginning to falter. Keyleth could see her looking down at her hands. Could see how her breath was beginning to quicken ever so slightly.  How she couldn’t piece a sentence together properly.

“Hey, Cass,” Keyleth said, waiting for a pause in Cassandra’s speech. Cassandra looked up at her and there were tears in her tired eyes. “I know how you’re feeling.”

Cassandra raked her sleeve across her face and blinked furiously.

“You do?”

“I mean, yeah. Did Percy ever tell you about my mother?” Cassandra shook her head and Keyleth took a seat at the breakfast counter.

The coffee machine beeped that it was ready, but it went unnoticed. Cassandra’s half-finished meal was settled between them.

“When I was… fourteen or fifteen, I think, I had a really bad day at school. I failed a maths test, a group of kids cornered me during lunch and accused me of being a witch,”

“They called you a witch?” Cassandra interrupted, the surprise clear on her face. Keyleth smiled a rueful smile and nodded.

“Oh yeah. They knew that I had an unconventional family. I lived with my parents, and my uncle, and my parent’s friends, and their children. We had a big farmhouse that we all lived in and sometimes the older children would drive us to school. Usually it was my uncle. But the kids at school thought it was _weird_. That we must be some kind of coven because we called each other family, even though we all looked different and weren’t actually related.” Keyleth said, her thoughts drifting for a second.

“That sounds nice,” Cassandra said, probably remembering all her siblings that were no longer here.

“It was.” Keyleth agreed. “But yeah, that day was pretty rough. I was almost in tears by the time I got home and when I did, my mum pulled me aside and told me she had big news. She was going to go on a conservation expedition. And that she was leaving that night.”

Cassandra was quiet. Keyleth took a moment to collect her thoughts once more.

“I told her I was happy for her, and we celebrated that night. It was meant to last a few weeks, a month at most. So she went off and I went to school the next day.” Keyleth’s hands clenched and she forced herself to loosen them. “A week went by with no word from her. Then two, then three. And then it was two months and we had no idea where she had gone or if she was coming back. We all assumed she was dead and word couldn’t reach us. You know there’s still a part of me that hopes she’s still out there somewhere.”

“Keyleth, I’m sorry.” Cassandra said, gently reaching out and touching Keyleth’s forearm. It was a sweet gesture, if a bit clumsy.

“In a weird way, I almost envy you and Percy.” Keyleth said. Cassandra stilled and Keyleth met her eye. “You guys have closure. And each other. I barely talk to my siblings any more. And yeah, I know it _sucks_ , and it won’t stop sucking for a while. And if you need to take tomorrow off school, literally no one will judge you.”

Cassandra hung her head, brushing away the tears.

“I just always miss them. Every year it hurts.” Cassandra said, her voice very very quiet in the silence of 3am.

“Well this is the first year you can begin to heal, you know.” Keyleth said. She drew Cassandra close to her and held the girl tightly. “No Briarwoods reminding you of their death, no Whitestone under a cult’s control. You have Percy, and Kaylie, and the others a floor away if you need anything.”

Cassandra sniffed and Keyleth rubbed gentle circles on her back.

“You can grieve now. And then next year you’ll grieve a little less, and the year after that, until it gets to winter and you’re just only a little bit sad. And when that happens, you call up one of us and say, ‘ _can someone come over and give me a hug?’_ and I will bet anything some of us will turn up.” Keyleth said quietly.

They stayed like that for a few minutes while Cassandra began to draw herself together. She pulled away from Keyleth and wiped her face, accepting the tissue Keyleth handed her.

Then Keyleth stood up and turned the coffee machine back on.

“You should go get some sleep. I’ll ring your school when it’s open and tell them that you’re taking the day off. And then I’ll let the others know to check in every once in a while to bring snacks and to make sure you’re eating.” Keyleth said, cringing again at the loud noise the machine made.

Cassandra nodded and picked up her phone as she left in the general direction of her bedroom. Keyleth sighed and dumped the cereal bowl in the sink. Someone could deal with that later.

The coffee machine beeped again and Keyleth began filling up her flask.

“Thank you, Keyleth.”

Keyleth didn’t need to turn around to know who was there.

Percy looked particularly bedraggled as he stood just inside the doorway, baggy pyjamas messy and with random buttons undone. His glasses were slightly lopsided but he was smiling at her warmly.

“You would do the same.” Keyleth said, beginning to pull down the bread to make toast.

“Not as well as that.” Percy said, having heard every single word of the encounter.

Cassandra wasn’t the only one who struggled this time of year.

“Are you staying home this year?” Keyleth asked.

“I’m not sure yet.” Percy admitted, running a hand through his hair and somehow managing to mess it up further. “I think so. Maybe if only to keep Cassandra company.”

“Okay then,” Keyleth said, smiling at him as she took a sip of her scalding coffee. “Take it easy today. And I’m pretty sure Pike made a fresh batch of cookies yesterday if you want to get the rejected box before Vax can.”

“You’re a God-send, Keyleth.” Percy said, getting his own mug of coffee.

Keyleth smiled to herself.

3am wasn't all that bad, sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're curious about why Thursday night at 3am, it's because that's the time that Critical Role airs in England and the time I am awake if I don't have school the next day (LIKE TODAY HOLLA)


	24. Happy Winter's Crest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyy I spent almost a full week off school from illness and I still have 2 days left before I break up, but ITS THE HOLIDAYS!!  
> HAPPY DAYS!
> 
> Also sorry this is self-indulgent because I wanted to be cliche and put up a Holiday's thing!! Also I needed something happy and fluffy after that BOMBSHELL of a last episode, right?

“ _Sorry kiddo, they need me to fill in for the next show. I won’t be back to see you off back to Sybil’s, but I’ll make it up to you."_ Scanlan’s voice was a little crackling over the speakerphone as Kaylie wandered around the kitchen grabbing various things from the cupboards.

Soft, almost tinkling music fluttered through the apartment from the stereo in the living room. Something that was _way_ before Kaylie’s time but pleasant enough on the ears, so she let it become a soothing background ambiance.

“No need Scanlan,” Kaylie said, leaning slightly towards the phone as she passed a few clementines to Grog as he stood over a cooking pot, “Ma already called and said that if you’ll have me, I can stay here over Winter’s Crest. I think she wants to have a nice _romantic_ Winter’s Crest with her boyfriend for once.”

“ _Do you_ want _to stay here for the holidays?_ ” Scanlan asked, the excitement barely being kept out his voice. Pike made a face to Grog that was probably about Scanlan neatly avoiding the whole ‘boyfriend’ thing.

“If it means I don’t have to be around What’s-his-face then sure.” Kaylie said. Pike nudged Grog and gestured to the smile on Kaylie’s face.

“ _Well then I guess that settles it. Are you okay until I get back tonight?_ ”

“I’ll be _fine_ , you old fool.” Kaylie said, holding out the last few spices to Grog and picking up her phone so it was closer to her mouth. “I’m helping Uncle Grog make mulled wine, and Cassie said she’ll be round after she’s done her homework to hang out before she leaves for Whitestone tomorrow.”

Grog tried to hide his smile at being called an ‘ _uncle_ ’ but Pike still saw it.

“ _Am I on speaker?_ ” Scanlan asked.

“Hi Scanlan!” Pike called out, demonstrating that he _was_ , in fact, on speakerphone.

“Scanlan!” Grog joined in, cutting the clementines into segments.

“ _Hi Pike, hi Grog, don’t let the two teenagers have any wine._ ” Scanlan said.

“Wha- That’s no fun, Scanlan.” Grog objected, carefully and methodically adding the ingredients to the gently heated pot.

“ _Pike, don’t let the teenagers have any of the mulled wine._ ” Scanlan reiterated.

“I won’t, Scanlan.” Pike said, while simultaneously indicating to Kaylie that she could have a little bit if she wanted.  

“ _Alright, good. I’ll see you guys when I get home._ ” Scanlan said.

“Bye Scanlan!” Pike and Grog called out almost in sync.

“Bye dad, we’ll see you when you get here, bye!” Kaylie said, ending the call quickly and pointedly ignoring the look on Pike’s face.

“Oi, Kaylie, hand me that bottle, will you?” Grog said, pointing to a bottle of red wine that was just out of his reach. Kaylie’s phone was deftly tucked away in her back pocket as she reached out and slapped the wine into Grog’s outstretched hand.

Pike laughed as Grog took a hefty swig before pouring it into the pot that was gently steaming.

“ _Ah!_ There we go. _Now_ it’s Winter’s Crest!” Grog declared, using Pike’s novelty ladle to stir the currently-mulling wine. “This here is what makes a holiday.”

“Fancy wine?” Kaylie asked, grabbing another one of Pike’s cookies that tasted faintly of orange and cinnamon.

“ _Homemade,_ mulled wine,” Pike chipped in, pulling on a pair of oven gloves and wandering over to the oven, “passed down through a dozen Trickfoot generations and enjoyed every year at Winter’s Crest.”

Another intoxicating smell filled the kitchen as Pike opened the oven door and pulled out a tray of bizarre-looking pastries that made Kaylie’s mouth water just from looking at it. They were a light golden brown, with berries and chocolate in the centre and folded so they looked like some kind of flower.

“These are also a Trickfoot Winter’s Crest tradition.” Pike said, carefully placing the tiny pastries on a cooling rack. Even though his attention was on the mulled wine, Grog was still aware enough to gently slap Kaylie’s hand away from sneaking away one of the fresh pastries.

“Hey!” Kaylie cradled her hand close to her chest and glared at Grog, who just went back to slowly stirring the wine.

“If I have to wait, so do you.” Grog said, just as visibly upset about having to resist as Kaylie.

“Alright, alright, I was just curious.” Kaylie grumbled, retreating back ever so slightly but still watching Pike calculatingly. Grog pointed the ladle at her and Kaylie dropped the look. “So you two do this every year? All these traditions?”

“Yep!” Pike declared, pulling off the oven gloves and tucking them away on the counter. “It’s nice, everyone in the kitchen, getting in the festive mood. And, you know, it’s nice to share them with people as well.”

“Must have been fun growing up in your household.” Kaylie said, satiating herself with another cookie.

“It was pretty great, yeah.” Grog said, placing a lid on the pot and letting it simmer. “Except for when Pike wouldn’t let me in the kitchen when she was cooking.”

“You kept eating all the chocolate!” Pike protested, tapping one of the pastries tentatively before snatching her finger away.

“You had a lot of chocolate in there!” Grog shot back, scooping Pike up into his arms and ruffling her hair, ignoring her attempts to get away and her laughter that sounded so loud in the echoing kitchen.  

A gentle knock on the front door barely made it past the two siblings laughter and mock-fighting, but Kaylie had been listening for it.

“I’ve got it!” She called as she left the room, shutting the kitchen door behind her.

As she faced the door, Kaylie nervously smoothed down her shirt before opening the front door.

Cassandra de Rolo looked good in _literally anything_ , Kaylie noticed with a slight edge of annoyance. Even a thick, knitted jumper that had Keyleth’s handiwork written all over it and a lopsided penguin adorning it, and pair of faded, torn jeans. It didn’t help that she had her hair pinned away from her face with a silvery hairband that took away from the white streaks at her temple and made her look _really freaking cute_.

“Pleasure seeing you here, Miss de Rolo.” Kaylie said, leaning against the doorframe and _praying_ that she sounded as cool as she thought she did. Something inside her punched the air at the tiniest of blushes on Cassandra’s face.

“Hi Kaylie,” Cassandra said, stepping through when Kaylie stepped back from the door. “I brought some treats that Percy and I made.” She held a clear box in her hands with small, rectangular treats inside. They looked like something between a roll of bread and shortbread, but with icing on top. Honestly, Kaylie hated the temptation off all these Winter’s Crest treats.

Cassandra shut the door behind her and made to go to where the other voices were, but Kaylie gently put her hand on Cassandra’s arm.

“Wait a sec,” Kaylie whispered, turning and digging into her pocket. She pulled out a small box that had been wrapped up in snowflake paper. “Happy Winter’s Crest.” She said shyly, holding it out.

Cassandra took care when unwrapping the (admittedly, shoddily wrapped) present, and pulled off the lid with as much care as someone playing a grand piano… or something that wasn’t as mushy.

The little pendant seemed suddenly so unimpressive in that hallway, but Cassandra’s fingers gently caressed it amongst its cotton padding. A small violin charm. Imperfect, delicate, slim. Attached to a long chain.

Kaylie had kept it hidden in her room for weeks, fretting.

All the anxiety melted away with the smile on Cassandra’s face.

“Here, let me help,” Kaylie said, reaching forwards and taking the necklace from the box and fastening the clasp behind Cassandra’s neck and tucking the hair out. It hung just below her clavicle, shiny against the blue jumper.

“I love it.” Cassandra said quietly, looping the chain between her fingers. “This is for you, by the way.”

She produced a small present (wrapped perfectly, of course) from her handbag and handed it to Kaylie. Kaylie took as much care not to rip the paper and looked down at the album in her hands with wide eyes.

“I thought because you said that you liked them, and because we went to that show together- I just didn’t know if you had it alrea-”

Kaylie cut her off by pulling her into a fierce hug.

“I haven’t been able to find this _anywhere_! How’d you get it?” Kaylie’s grin was infected when she pulled back, and Cassandra was grinning just as wide.

“Vex took me to a car boot sale a few weeks ago and I thought you would like it.” Cassandra said.

“I love it!” Kaylie said, throwing her arms around Cassandra and pulling her close. She kissed Cassandra, both in gratitude and just because.

Cassandra’s arm wound around Kaylie’s waist and kept her there for a moment longer.

“ _Percy’s busy tonight if you want to stay over_.” Cassandra whispered, a slightly nervous edge to her voice.

“Well, Scanlan’s working late tonight so that works for me.” Kaylie said.

“ _KAYLIE! CASSIE! YOU CAN HAVE SOME PASTRIES NOW!”_ Grog’s loud voice almost caused them to jump apart.

“Come on,” Kaylie said, taking Cassandra’s hand and pulling her towards the kitchen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays, everyone <3 <3


	25. Rum on a Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a bit of a sensitive subject for me at this point in my life, but I wrote it forever ago and just kept it as a back-up, in a way. I kept it gathering dust _because_ it's such a sensitive topic for me, but I haven't uploaded in so long and maybe this will do me some good. who knows?
> 
> alcohol abuse ahead, be warned. Also slight mention of blood and a single, violent act

“GET OUT!”

“Kaylie, Cassie, go back to the apartment.”

Percy’s voice left no room for argument.

“Grog, can I have the bottle?” Pike asked, extending her hand towards her childhood friend. She had no fear on her face, only concern and an openness that tore at Grog’s chest as he held the bottle of ale close.

“I need it.” Grog’s words were slurred out and he shifted so his back was pressed against the wall.

“You don’t need-”

“I do!” Grog shouted, wincing as he saw Pike flinch ever so slightly. He shrunk back in on himself, and his voice went quiet. “ _I need it today._ ”

“Grog,” Vex interrupted, stepping forwards. Pike threw a look over her shoulder and Vex took a half-step back: still in range but far enough away. Pike turned and looked back at Grog, her hand still stretched out.

“Please, Grog. Can I have the ale? You’ve already had too much.” Pike said gently.

Vax shifted behind Pike. Subtle. Slightly threatening.

Something in Grog snapped and he pulled his arm back, throwing the bottle against the wall. It shattered, spilling the last of the drink on the wall and scattering shards of glass around.

“GROG!” Vex shouted, pulling Pike towards her and wrapping her arms around the shorter woman. Grog blinked a few times and focused properly. One of the bigger shards of glass had managed to catch Pike on the arm and a small amount of blood had begun to trail down towards her wrist.

“Pike. Pike, I’m so sorry.” The words spilled out of Grog’s mouth before he was honestly aware of it. He tried to reach forwards for Pike, but Vex pulled her back and Vax stepped in front of her. They were both looking down at him with looks of anger or horror or pity or disgust; Grog didn’t quite know which one. Maybe it was all of them.

It was Percy who stepped forwards, moving carefully around the broken glass and ale. Grog curled in on himself, grabbing the back of his head and holding it between his knees.  

“Vex, Vax, can you take Pike back to your own apartment and clean her arm?” Percy asked, standing at Grog’s side.

“It doesn’t hurt, really.” Pike said, from somewhere behind Vax. “Grog, I’m fine. I promise.”

Grog didn’t respond.

“Come on, Pike. We’ll get you cleaned up.” Vax said, turning around and joining his sister in herding Pike out of the door of her apartment. Percy sighed and turned to Keyleth.

“Keyleth, can you be a dear and get Scanlan? I’m sure he’d want to be with Pike.” Percy said. Keyleth nodded resolutely, but gave Grog one last concerned look before she left, closing the door behind her.

Percy let out a soft sigh and sat down on the floor next to Grog. The two of them didn’t say a word for a while, the sound of Grog’s ragged breathing filling the silence.

Eventually, Percy shifted and pulled something out of his pocket. He tapped Grog’s shoulder and Grog raised his head a little.

“Grog, do you know what this is?” Percy asked. He held something in his hand and it took Grog a few seconds to focus on what it was. It looked like a porous stone of some kind, almost spherical. Nothing remarkable, at least not to Grog.

“What is it?” Grog asked, looking up from the stone back to his friend.

“It’s called a bezoar.” Percy said, twirling the stone in his hand. “In reality, it’s a lump of undigested matter from the intestines. But when I was younger, I’d read that it had the ability to absorb poison. That if someone had been poisoned, if they swallowed a bezoar there was a good chance they’d survive.”

“That’s handy.” Grog said, almost absently. Percy huffed a laugh, a very small smile on his face.

“That’s what I thought. After what happened to my family, the first thing I did was try to find one. I don’t know why I thought it would help. We know now that bezoars do very little against poison, but at the time, I was looking for anything that could bring me the slightest comfort.” Percy said. He held out the bezoar to Grog, who very gingerly took it in his hand. “That’s what you’re doing now. But instead of a lump of stomach contents, you’re using ale. Which, in all honesty, is _far_ more counter-productive and you’ll only feel worse in the long run.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt Pike.” Grog said, clutching the bezoar like it would give him the same comfort it gave Percy.

“I know you didn’t Grog. But, at the end of the day, you were drunk and threw a glass bottle against the wall.” Percy said. There was a moment of quiet between them as Grog digested his words. Then Percy spoke again. “Grog, why were you drinking alone in the first place?”

“It’s today.” Was all Grog could get out. His gaze dropped to the floor and Percy shifted slightly.

“What’s today?”

“Pike. When she got hit. She was in her accident. It was today.” Grog said slowly. His chest heaved slightly more than it had been and Percy was suddenly afraid he was going to have a panic attack.

“She’s still okay, Grog. Pike’s still alright.” Percy said gently, placing his hand on Grog’s shoulder in a comforting gesture.

“But she wasn’t. She was in the hospital. She had all these machines on her and Pike didn’t wake up for a week.” Grog said, resting his head on his clasped hands. He looked like he was praying for a moment. (Maybe he was). “You know once, when we were little, I’d dared Pike to climb a tree with me. She climbed up beside me and we played in the tree all day. But when we were climbing down, Pike slipped. She broke her arm. Seeing her in the hospital, again… She’s so tiny, Percy.”

Grog raised his head and looked Percy in the eye. He could see the red rim around Grog’s eye from either the memories or the drink, and more hurt that had any right to be on one man’s face.

“She’s so small and she’s been through so much. I see her wincing sometimes when she reaches for something on a high shelf. Those scars on her side are still there. She’s got this cream in the bathroom that she uses on them. I’m not quite sure what it does but I think it stops the pain.” Grog said.

“Pike was cleared from the hospital, Grog. She’s okay, she’s still healthy.” Percy said. “And you know Pike better than anyone. She’s the toughest person I’ve ever met. And from what you’ve just told me, Pike can pretty much survive anything. You don’t need to get drunk and sad to handle this, Grog.”

Grog looked over at Percy and there was a raw emotion on his face that Percy wasn’t quite used to.

_Vulnerability_.

Percy cleared his throat awkwardly.

“And, if it’s any consolation, you two compliment each other very well.” He said as he pulled himself to his feet. Percy reached out his hand and, after a moment, Grog took it.

They stood in silence for a brief moment. Neither dropped their hand.

“I’ll clean up the glass.” Grog said, his throat raw but he looked more… resolute. “Can you go talk to Pike for me? Tell her I’m sorry.”

“I’m sure she knows, but, of course.” Percy promised.

He didn’t shut the door fully behind him as he left.


	26. Absolutely Smitten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's Day with Vox Machina

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dude...
> 
> I've been hanging onto this for just under a week and it took all my self-restraint to post it today. This is just some nice fluff and stuff because it's a day of love and stuff ( ~~says the aro girl~~ ) and I think it's time to start spreading some more love in the world <3

“You have a key Percy, you don’t have to knock every time if we know you’re on your way.” Vex left the door open as she walked back inside. Percy followed, closing the door and shedding both his shoes and his jacket. (Old habits had a very bad tendency to die hard.)

“You still haven’t quite grasped the manner in which I was raised.” Percy said, adjusting his sleeve cuffs as he trailed behind Vex.

“Where’s Keyleth?” Vex asked, ignoring the comment purely because she couldn’t think of a good enough comeback to it. She pushed open the door to the kitchen and held it open for _just_ long enough for Percy to catch it.

“At home taking care of Cassandra.” Percy admitted. A small crowd was currently piled into the kitchen and the two eagerly joined it.

“What’s wrong?” Grog asked, looking up from the bowl he was mixing. Vex gently tapped his forearm and Grog reluctantly gave up the cake batter. A pack of cards lay on the table, slightly scattered. Grog picked it up and began constructing a lop-sided tower.

For a moment Percy looked embarrassed before he cleared his throat. Both Pike and Vex shared a look.

“As my mother would put it,” Percy began, gesticulating a bit more than normal as he struggled to find the appropriate words, “Cassandra is suffering from the full moon’s effects.”

Grog’s eyes went wide as he stared at Percy. The pitiful tower collapsed.

“Your sister’s a werewolf?” Grog’s voice was completely serious as he said this. So much so that Percy was too stunned for mockery.

“Close, actually.” Percy said.

Pike shook her head and pulled Grog’s towards her so she could whisper the real answer in his ear. Unsurprisingly, Grog looked disappointed.

He began rebuilding his tower of cards.

“I’ll bring some ice-cream round when I pick up Keyleth tonight.” Vex said, patting Percy’s arm before she turned her attention back to the baking in front of her. The half-made cupcakes took up all of the counter space and spots of flour and egg littered about, waiting for an unsuspecting hand to accidentally be placed there.

The preparation for the icing lay off to the side, ready and prepped.

“Thank you, dear.” Percy said, just about recovering from Grog’s confusion, and sitting down at the kitchen table. “Though she’s mostly upset about having to cancel her plans with Kaylie. Though, knowing Kaylie, I’m sure that won’t deter them all too much.”

“Is Scanlan working tonight?” Pike asked.

“No, and I know this because I’m going to be sleeping on his sofa tonight as I have a feeling I do not want to be in the apartment.” Percy said, giving a pointed look to the back of Vex’s head. She flipped him off over her shoulder.

“Well both of you are more than welcome to hang out at ours.” Pike said, beginning to help Vex spoon out the batter into small paper cases.

“We might just have to take you up on that offer.” Percy said.

There was a few moments of companionable silence; the girls methodically constructing the cupcakes, Grog painstakingly balancing cards one row atop another, Percy sketching idly in his notebook and occasionally reaching out to better position a card for Grog. Soft music from further in the apartment made its way to them and Percy saw Vex smile as she recognised the tune.

An hour later, 20 cupcakes lined a plate. Each one had pink buttercream swirl and a small heart cut out of red icing on top of it. Grog’s tower had collapsed and been rebuilt countless times. Percy’s sketch book contained three new ideas to be properly refined at a later date.

Vax breezed into the kitchen, his hair freshly dried, and wearing a particularly well-crafted outfit. Powder blue button up shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, leather bracelets dangling from his wrists, a crisp waistcoat buttoned up over his chest, jeans that fit so well Percy had to avert his eye several times.

“Nice waistcoat,” Grog said, collecting the cards and shuffling them. By Grog’s standard, there was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. To everyone else….

“Keep thinking that when I’m getting laid tonight.” Vax shot back with the most mischievous smile on his face that Percy had ever seen.  

“You think this is the night you finally do it?” Vex asked, an equally cheeky smile on her face. Vax flipped her off as Grog began to laugh.

Grog’s laughter stopped abruptly as the tea towel hit him square in the face. Then it was Pike and Percy’s turn to laugh. Discreetly. Behind their hands.

“Alright, when are you all getting out of my apartment?” Vax ask, playing along with his annoyance.

“ _Our_ apartment.” Vex corrected. “And don’t start being a jerk just because you’re nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.” Vax immediately lied, trying to sneakily swipe a cupcake. (Vex had had too much practice for him to get away with it.) Pike gave Vax a pointed look and he relented. “Alright I’m nervous.”

“Why? You’ve been going out with Shaun for months.” Vex started to busy herself by lining a cake box with the cupcakes, occasionally casting Vax a look.

“I don’t know, Vex. I just want everything to be _perfect_.” Vax admitted, an odd note of vulnerability in his voice.

“Vax, if it’s any comfort,” Percy said, drawing the focus to him for a moment, “every time I enter his shop, he always asks after you. I’m fairly certain he’s just as fond of you as you are of him.”

Vax was taken aback for a moment, but he didn’t quite show it. He’d have to resolve that later. After his date.

Preferably tomorrow.

It didn’t take long for the three non-residents to leave, all citing different reasons. (Grog: he wanted to go take a shower. Pike: she wanted to go order their takeout. Percy: he wanted to go make sure his sister was alright before going over to Scanlan’s.) It was just the twins left in their apartment, both trying to ignore the creeping nerves for their respective dates.

They stood in front of the mirror, putting the finishing touches to their outfits. Vex wore a black, low-necked dress that she usually reserved for ‘special nights’, and a loose black lace shirt over it, creating an illusion of modesty. She wore their mother’s necklace. Vax tried not to think about it.

“I got everything on your list, by the way.” Vex said, pushing her nicest earrings through the almost-closed hole in her lobe. She glanced at her brother standing next to her in the mirror. “It’s in the fridge, so you can attempt to woo Shaun with your cooking skills.”

“Very funny.” Vax said, twisting parts of his hair back and intertwining them in the elaborate way he’d perfected over the years. “We both know that Shaun is the better cook.”

“Honestly, I think if you just let him cook, that might help your chances _later_.”

“That might work for you, sister, but I don’t think I’m that charismatic.”

Vex just took the compliment and shrugged. Vax could only smile as he watched her twist her feathers into the hair behind her ear.

“I watched you practically _study_ that recipe. It’d better be perfect, Vax.” Vex caught his eye and saw the small smile on his face. “Don’t let our grandmother’s ghost down, and make your boyfriend swoon.”

“I could say the same to you.” Vax wiggled his eyebrows and Vex laughed.

“Vax, I’ll be fine if I just wink at her.” She said, smoothing out a dark red onto her lips. It was Keyleth’s favourite shade. Vex was going for the kill tonight.

“Teach me your ways.” Vax teased, looking back at himself in the mirror and squaring his shoulders. His shirt didn’t quite hang like it did on Scanlan, or Percy, or Grog, or-

Vax stopped that train of thought before it spiralled out of control.

This was going to be a good night.

Vex’s hand gripped his shoulder and Vax relaxed. She understood. Of course she did. She was his sister.

“You’d better hurry up, unless you _want_ to be late.” Vax pointed out, glancing at the clock down the hall.

“ _Alright,_ ” Vex said, pretending to be _way_ more exasperated that she felt. She turned to begin the search for her shoes.  

“And don’t forget your cupcakes!” Vax called after her as she disappeared into the her bedroom.  

Vex left not long after that, a nervous but excited grin on her face, and a box of neatly decorated cakes in her hands.

Within the hour, there was a knock at the door.

Vax took a deep breath, and he opened it.

Gilmore was stood on the other side, with a nice bottle of wine in his hand and a private smile. The top few buttons of his shirt were undone and a thick gold chain disappeared under it. His usual abundance of rings clinked gently against the wine bottle as Gilmore shifted slightly. A messenger bag barely wrinkled his outfit, and an intoxicating smell seemed to drift from him.

“Can I come in?” Gilmore asked. Vax had to mentally shake himself.

“Of course,” he said, stepping back into the apartment to let Gilmore in.

The door shut and Gilmore reached up, putting his hand on Vax’s face. Vax took the bottle of wine and placed it on the small table they left their keys on so he could reach up and twine his fingers in Gilmore’s hair and pull him closer.

A hand steadied them against the wall behind Vax. The chain around Gilmore’s neck was warm where it touched Vax’s collar bone. An arm wrapped around his waist.

“ _Well… This is a nice welcome._ ” Gilmore murmured.

“ _It_ is _a special occasion._ ” Vax said, lazily twisting a loose lock of hair between his fingers.

“ _So it is_.” And then Gilmore was kissing him again and that was about as far as Vax’s mental capabilities went.

Dinner could wait, just a little bit.

They weren’t in any rush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's <3 <3
> 
> Also, if you want a laugh, [here are some D&D pickup lines](http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?451086-Pickup-Lines) ;)


	27. Kids That I Once Knew - Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> damn it's been a while since I've done one of these so here! have a socially awkward Keyleth as a young, tender teen (which is like 10 years before the main story lmao)

It wasn’t that Keyleth _hated_ parties.

She liked the idea of people all getting together to celebrate something, and to laugh and have fun. She liked the idea of groups all talking and existing in the same space and enjoying themselves.

So when a boy in her English asked if she’d go to a party, the obvious answer was yes.

Keyleth replayed that conversation in her head a million times as she took in her reality.

The cup in her hand smelled like the stuff she used to clean the kitchen with her dad. She swirled it around the sides. Drank some.

Tasted about as good as it smelled.

Bodies were milling about the house, loud and intoxicated and obnoxious. People were throwing back the contents of their cups and getting louder, getting more obnoxious. Heavy bass permeated the walls and Keyleth could feel it pressing against her temple.

This was unbearable.

But Keyleth couldn’t leave.

Her ride home was currently making out with a boy upstairs, while the only other person she knew at this party was in the next room with a joint between their fingers and bloodshot eyes and smoke hanging around their head.

At least the energy was dying down a bit in the room she was hiding in. A girl sat on the kitchen counter, crying her eyes out while another girl smoothed down her hair and whispered to her. A boy was carefully mixing out a drink from the display of alcoholic drinks that was laid out on the island counter. Two people were currently seeing who could down the most shots in a minute.

And then there was Keyleth. Not talking to anyone, standing beside the fridge, slowly drinking some shitty cocktail that wasn’t even getting her drunk.

She sighed and pushed off the wall. The rest of the house was much more chaotic and Keyleth had to force her way through it to get to the back door.

Outside, the air was cool against her skin. It hadn’t even occurred to her that she was sweating.

People stood outside smoking cigarettes and one couple had taken themselves off around the corner to make out. There was a bench in the back corner underneath a small arch, and Keyleth set that as he goal.

The seat was cold but Keyleth felt a little better, at least. She could see the silhouettes of people through the windows and the dimmed lights and the bass was _still_ audible even this far away. It looked like a particularly wild menagerie.

“First party?”

Keyleth jumped and drew herself into a defensive position. Her gaze snapped to the person and she saw a boy - probably a few years older than her - holding his hands up defensively. He was dressed casually, with a barely-there dark beard coming through and his curly hair pulled back into a bunch. Maybe he was in university already? Maybe he was someone’s friend or older brother here?

“Hey, didn’t mean to scare you.” The boy said, keeping his distance and waiting for Keyleth to relax. “Can I sit?”

“Sure.” Keyleth muttered, still curled up on the far end of the bench.

They were both quiet for a long time, just watching the party go on without them. A few of the smokers lit up another one. One of them went back inside for another drink. The couple was yet to move.

“Is this your first house party?” The boy asked, making sure there was a respectable distance between them.

“That obvious?” Keyleth returned, looking down at the swill left in her cup. The boy huffed in a laugh and Keyleth smiled.

“I know the signs.” The boy said. “I’m Kerrek, by the way. My friends call me Ker.” He extended his hand to Keyleth politely.

“Keyleth.” She took his hand and shook it. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around school.”

“I left two years ago.” Kerrek admitted. “I’m just finishing a gap year before university. Doing some volunteering and stuff.”

“So what are you doing here?” Keyleth asked, hoping she didn’t sound rude.

“My buddy got invited and dragged me along.” Kerrek said. “ _This_ kind of thing was never my scene.”

“Really?”

“Yup. I used to just hang out in the corner or find a quiet place to think.” For the first time, Kerrek looked over at Keyleth and she suddenly realised why he’d come over. He understood. “So who dragged you along to this?”

“This boy in my English told me about it and asked if I wanted to come. I thought it would be fun, you know. Just _hanging out_ and stuff. I- I didn’t think it would be…” Keyleth trailed off, realising how pathetic she sounded.

“You didn’t think it would be so loud and obnoxious?” Kerrek finished, a small knowing look on his face. Keyleth nodded. “Well if it’s any consolation, you’re doing better than I did at my first party.”

“What happened?” Keyleth asked, looking over at him.

“My friends convinced me to get drunk and I ended up walking all the way across the city only to get home and throw up on my doorstep. Worst part, my dad was waiting for me at the door.” Kerrek absently scratched his beard as he told the story and he had a small smile on his face. Keyleth laughed out of surprise more than anything, and Kerrek joined in.

They both settled into a comfortable silence for a while. The party didn’t show any signs of winding down any time soon.

“I thought-” Keyleth cleared her throat awkwardly, thinking through her words carefully. “I thought it should be like _this_. I thought being sixteen was _meant_ to be about going to parties and getting drunk and making out with people and staying out late. Is there something wrong with me?”

“Well there’s two answers to that; which one do you want? The long or the short answer?” Kerrek asked, leaning back on the bench.

“What’s the short answer?”

“No.”

“And the long answer?”

“Hell no.” Kerrek smiled and Keyleth did too. “There’s nothing wrong with not having or _wanting_ the teen movie lifestyle. Very few people do. It doesn’t make you weird.”

“Hey Ker, can I tell you something?” Keyleth asked, suddenly looking away from him. “Something that I haven’t told anyone else?”

“Go for it.”

Keyleth took a deep breath to steady herself. It was time someone knew. Even if it was a complete stranger.

“I like girls.” Keyleth said. “I’m gay.”

Kerrek was quiet for a moment.

“Well if I’m the first person you’ve told, you picked a hell of an audience,” Kerrek said, pausing for a second, “considering I am _also_ gay.”

Keyleth’s head whipped around and Kerrek laughed at the look on her face. It was hopeful and stunned and comical all at once.

“How did you handle it? Coming out?” Keyleth asked, her posture relaxing just a little.

“Well you seem to have a pretty good grasp of it already.” Kerrek assured her. “There’s not much to it, you just only tell the people you trust and hope they take it better than you think.”

“You make it sound so easy.” Keyleth said.

“Well life’s only hard if you let it control you. As long as you remember that _you’re_ in control of you, life gets just that little bit easier.” Kerrek sat up properly and stretched. “I take it your friend’s busy?”

“Pretty much.” Keyleth shrugged, trying to hide the hurt at being abandoned by her friend.

“Need a ride home?”

“I live just outside the city. Is that okay?”

“You live near the Ashari’s?”

“I _am_ an Ashari.” Keyleth admitted sheepishly.

“Then you’ll be able to give me directions because otherwise I will be _lost_.” Kerrek said, standing up and extending a hand towards Keyleth.

“Deal.” She said, taking it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have BASTARDISED Kerrek's age but who cares, have some cute Kerrek and Keyleth being buddies fluff
> 
> I've had a bad week, have something fluffy


	28. Omens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1
> 
> warnings: terrorism, descriptions of chemical warfare, improvised explosives

“What’s this about?” Pike asked, leaning down to whisper her question to Vax. She had already rejected the offer to sit on Grog’s shoulders to look over the crowd, but the simple stage didn’t offer any clues, either.

King Uriel was sat on the stage, talking in soft whispers to his wife. Their children sat beside them, trying their hardest not to look bored. Percy was watching the children and whispering something to Keyleth. Probably some remark about his own childhood.

Vax scanned the rest of the stage. Asum and Tofor sat on the other side, talking quietly to each other and the other members of the council. From the frown on Tofor’s face, she was probably as confused as the rest of them. Especially why he had chosen the university to hold the announcement, when the castle was only a few streets away.

(Vax was still trying to figure out why _they_ were all sent an invite.)

Scanlan was busy wrapping up a phone call to Kaylie. She was staying with her mother over the weekend and she’d called to try and get Scanlan to let her visit Cassie in Whitestone that next week. Percy had been alright with the idea, but Scanlan still wasn’t crazy about how far Kaylie would have to travel from Kymal to Whitestone.

“No idea. The invitation just mentioned something about a big announcement.” Vax admitted, glancing over at Vex. She was looking around with a small frown on her face. No…

She was looking up.

Gilmore’s arm tightened around Vax’s waist, drawing him just a little closer.

“It’s a shame Kima and Allura aren’t here.” Gilmore said, more to himself than anything.

“Have you heard anything from Allura?” Vax asked, leaning into the touch.

“I think she’s still having talks with the council in Whitestone,” Gilmore admitted, turning his head so he could lean his forehead against Vax’s. “Trying to establish the trade the place needs, especially after what the Briarwood’s did to it. ”

“She’s a good lady.” Vax nodded absently, thinking about Whitestone. Thinking about the people there. What they went through. What they deserve.

He entertained a brief thought of Byroden.

“Shaun?” Both men’s attention turned to the voice. Sherri. Dressed up nicely for the King’s announcement, of course. “Can I have a word with you? Something came up after you left the shop.”

“Of course, Sherri.” Gilmore kissed Vax’s cheek. “Don’t go anywhere, beautiful.”

“Just hurry back, Shaun.” Vax said, gently patting Shaun’s shoulder as Sherri lead him slightly out the way of the crowd.

“Look, Uriel’s about to start.” Keyleth said, drawing all the other’s attention to the front of the crowd. Vex reluctantly drew her eye away from the rooftops.

Uriel walked across to the microphone with a sense of purpose. He cleared his throat dutifully. The crowd fell silent.

“Friends and family, allies of this fair city of Emon. Houses in Arms to the Tal’dorei family. Guests, guardians, and law keepers alike.” Uriel’s voice rang out over the crowd, and it felt like everyone was holding their breath. “I thank you, for coming on such short notice. Now it has not escaped me that talk spreads quickly within these walls and rumours only seek to undermine trust.”

Vex’s head turned slightly. Like she was following something only she could see.

Uriel carried on.

“We’ve been faced with deceit, and I failed to see it. We’ve been beset with allies in need, and I have been non-committal in aiding them.” He paused, took a small breath, and carried on. “I look back at my bloodline at my father, and his father before him, and I plainly see what I am not. These times are different. This wonderful city has _grown_ these past years, into something _grand_. A beacon of civilisation. My family has built us up and I feel there is little more my family can accomplish with the greatness of these lands, that has outgrown our meager guidance.”

Vax frowned as Vex’s head tilted back, looking back up at the roofs and the higher floors of the buildings. Her hand was against his shoulder and Grog was looking down at her, frowning.

Still, Uriel spoke.

“I did not choose to be your sovereign, it was by blood that I came into this, and I did my very, _very_ best to live up to your expectations. I can see the future of you all. And I wish to safeguard it. By leaving it not in one hand, but the hands of many. As of the end of this week, I will be stepping down as your sovereign. We will instead, leave the council to rule. You, the peoples of Emon, will be the ones to guide us to a new age of prosperity.”

Vex pointed up to the building beside them. The History building.

Vax squinted, looking at what Vex could see. Then he saw it.

Two small spots of colour, barely visible.

One black. One red.

“ _Something’s not right_.” Vex whispered to her brother.

Uriel’s voice was louder.

“I am beyond confident, beyond all doubts about the capabilities of those _I_ leave the city to-”

A far-off siren wailed and cut him off.

The crowd murmured. People shifted uneasily. A few shouts rang up.

A security guard whispered something to Uriel on stage.

Asum stood and approached the microphone.

“If you would please remain calm, there is an slight emergency that must be attended to. Please, calmly return to your home.”

An explosion cut him off.

People screamed as an entire row of windows from the Biochemistry building shattered outwards and flames began to roar. The crowd scattered.

More explosions popped up. The crowd fell.

Keyleth grabbed Vax’s shoulder.

“WE GOTTA MOVE!”

Her voice was almost drowned out by the chaos. But Vax held on and ran with her. She urged him forwards, but Vax didn’t let go of her hand.

“STAY CLOSE TO ME, WE’RE GETTING OUT OF HERE!” Keyleth’s voice was their anchoring point.

Vax reached out blindly and felt Vex’s hand grip his.

“I’m here, Vax!” Vex shouted, running ahead of him to help Percy along. Grog had pulled up Pike and Scanlan and was charging through the crowd.

The microphone whined and a voice came over the speakers. People did not stop for it.

“ _The Chroma Conclave sends its regards._ ”

A woman with black hair and dark green clothes stood on the stage, holding the microphone in one hand and a canister above her head. A green bandana was tied over her mouth. Another figure dropped down on the stage beside her, dressed all in black.

“ _Raishan, hurry up._ ” Another voice growled, caught by the microphone’s

Keyleth’s grip tightened for a moment.

A loud hissing noise caught Vax’s attention as yellow-brown smoke rolled over the crowd of people.

“HOLD YOUR BREATH!” Keyleth shouted, pushing Vax further forwards. “WE NEED TO LEAVE. _NOW_!”

A thought occurred to him and his blood ran cold.

“Where’s Shaun?!” Vax stopped dead. The crowd moved without him. The smoke rolled ever closer. He couldn’t see him. He couldn’t see Shaun.

“ _VAX!_ ” His sister’s voice cut through the buzzing in his head. Someone tried to pull him along. “Vax, we have to go!”

“I can’t see Shaun!” Vax gripped onto Vex as he desperately looked around. “They weren’t with us!”

An explosion went off by the stage.

“He was with Sherri. Vax, he was at the _edge_ of the crowd! He’s safe!” Vex was pleading with him now, tugging at his arm harder and making him stumble. “Look at me! _We. Have. To. Go_.”

Vax looked at her. Saw the fear in her eyes.

Vex ran, and Vax followed.

Another voice took over the microphone, speaking to the fleeing crowd.

“ _This is my domain now. Thordak rules Emon.”_


	29. In Ruins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, first off, some warnings.
> 
> I realised that I never put proper warnings up on the last chapter, so I'm going to retroactively add them and make sure I add them to every chapter in this arc. In the last day or so, there was [ an attack in Sweden ](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39531108) when a lorry drove down a very crowded street with at least 4 dead and [a Syrian airbase was bombed by the US](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-39529264)  
> and this is after [ a terrorist attack in London on March 22 ](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39356442) which still has me a bit shaken tbh
> 
> these are scary times, my friends and I don't want to add to it. please head the warnings if you're sensitive to anything i put in them
> 
> warnings: aftermath of a terrorist attack, descriptions of grief and death, blood

Vex hugged her knees tightly to her chest.

There were still sirens on the street outside. Police were patrolling the streets now, desperately trying to track down who the Chroma Conclave were and desperately keeping people safe.

They sat in the basement of an apartment building. It was too close to the University to be truly safe, but as soon as they stumbled through the doors - coughing and distressed - the landlord set them hunker down there. Other people (some couples, some students, some random passersby caught in the crossfire) also huddled together in small groups, all too scared to talk.

Keyleth sat, cross-legged and deep in a thought that had her clenching and unclenching her fists. Percy was pacing about the room, desperately trying to get through to Cassie. None of them had any signal. The network must have gone down.

“ _Shit_.” Percy hissed. He looked like he wanted to throw his phone against the wall. Instead, he just dropped it, and sank to the ground.

“She’s fine, Percy. She’s in Whitestone, they can’t reach her there.” Pike said, gently rubbing Percy’s back as his chest heaved. He was close to a panic attack. They all knew it.

“ _Alright_ , fuck this. I’m going to go find Shaun.” Vax pushed himself to his feet. He was pale, and his fists were shaking.

“I’m going with you.” Grog was already on his feet. He’d been too restless to sit.

“Me too.” Vex began to stand, but Scanlan’s hand gripped her wrist. He let go almost immediately, but he knew he had all their attention.

“It’s not a good idea to leave. The police are still there and-”

“And Shaun could be _dead_ for all I know.” Vax interrupted. There was deafening silence. “I’m going out there.”  

“Well if you go, we all go.” Scanlan said, standing up. He made it sound like an ultimatum.  

“Well, that sounds better that staying here and waiting for news.” Percy agreed, catching Scanlan off-guard for a moment. Percy hauled himself to his feet, scraped a hand across his face and looked at the others expectantly. “Keyleth? Pike?”

Pike was already on her feet, and Keyleth quickly stood, tying her hair up and out of her face.

“Are we going or what?” Pike asked.

“Alright,” Vax said, stalking towards the exit and wrapping his arms around himself. “We stick to where the streetlights are. There’s a chance he’s still at the university, if not we’ll check the surrounding area.”

“What if he’s at the hospital?” Pike asked, catching up and keeping pace with Vax as they climbed the stairs to the surface.

“If he was at the hospital, Sherri would have called one of us.” Percy said, fastening his buttons with a mechanical precision. Vax shot Vex a worried look. His voice was emotionless.

One problem at a time.

First they needed to find Shaun.

“Should we split up? Cover more ground?” Grog asked, holding the basement door open for the rest of them. He kept glancing ahead like he was on a constant lookout for danger.

“If we do we shouldn’t go far from each other and we should go in groups.” Keyleth said, pulling her sleeves up to her biceps. She looked like she was ready to take on the _world_ if she had to.

“Sister, do we still have those old walkie-talkies?” Vax asked.

“Somewhere in the apartment, I suppose.” Vex said. “It’s out of our way, though.”

“Then I guess we’re sticking together.” PIke said, peeking out the front doors of the building.

The street outside was quiet. Soft red and blue lights pulsed further away; a gentle reminder of a harsh reality. Police and paramedics and camera operators and journalists and evening news correspondents stood around the University, using the bombsite as a backdrop.

The biochemistry building had fallen. So had the library and the archive. Scorch marks appeared over all the other buildings on the campus.

Vex quietly reached out and met Percy’s hand halfway.

It was a silent moment of mourning for a safe haven that neither of them had really considered that important to them.

“We need to keep moving.” Vax said, pushing on bravely.

Vex dropped Percy’s hand and hurried to catch up to her brother. The others all fell in line behind them.

A reporter caught sight of the group moving parallel to the University and locked onto them.

“Excuse me! I have a few questions to ask you!”

Vax’s shoulders tensed, and he stiffened even more when Vex wrapped her arm around him to keep the moving.

“Grog-”

“We’ve got this,” Scanlan said, trying desperately to sound brave.

“Wait!” The reporter was running over now, the camera following closely. “Were you present for the attack tonight? Can you give an eyewitness account?”

“Don’t you have anything better to do than bully people for answers?” Grog asked, drawing himself to his full height. The woman looked deterred for a moment. Then Scanlan started talking, telling her what she wanted to hear.

He was buying them time to make it to Gilmore’s Glorious Books.

 

Vax couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

The building was destroyed. Torched. Looted. Abandoned.

That shop had been his _life_ and now it was gone.

A small noise caught the group’s attention.

Across the street and just a little further up.

_Psst!_

Keyleth spotted it first and almost cried in relief.

A woman was beckoning them over furiously. Her eyes were darting around furiously, as if expecting another attack at any moment.

“Oh thank the Gods,” Sherri said, almost _pulling_ them into the building she was hiding in. Obediently, they all filed inside. The door locked behind them.

“Sherri what-”

“Follow me,” Sherri pushed passed the group and lead the way towards a secure room in the back of the building.

It was dim inside. A few figures littered the room, including…

“Queen Salda?” Keyleth blurted out in surprise.

There she was. The Queen of Tal’Dorei. Kneeling on the floor, holding her children close. Her face was damp and they all felt awkward, somehow. Still, she smiled at them.

“It’d good to see a few friendly faces, even if only in this trying time.” Queen Salda said.

“Your highness,” Pike said, kneeling down beside her “I don’t mean to upset you but… Do you know where your husband is?”

Queen Salda closed her eyes for a moment, visibly pulling herself together.

“I don’t believe my husband made it… but we’re alive.” The Queen said, smoothing down her youngest child’s hair.

Vax knelt down beside her, lowering his voice.

“Did you see him fall?” He asked.

“No.…” She looked as if she was about to cry. Her eyes turned to the back corner. “He- he saved us.”

Vax followed her gaze.

He couldn’t breathe.

Gilmore. _Shaun_.

Vax barely remembered moving, but suddenly he was holding him. Gently propping Gilmore up. His arm was wrapped over his midsection. His breathing was laboured. His skin was cold. And hot. All at once.

He was bleeding.

That was a lot of blood.

“Pike!”

Pike scrambled over and looked down at Gilmore.

“Well, this isn’t good.” Pike muttered to herself. Vax saw the change in her eye as she started checking him over. She pulled out her phone and shone the torch, checking his pupil response. “He’s fading fast. We need to get him to a hospital soon.”

“What happened?” Vex was kneeling beside Sherri, trying to be comforting. The poor woman couldn’t stop shaking.

“He- As soon as the building exploded, he ran to the stage and tried to get Queen Salda and the kids to safety. He caught the edge of a grenade. We were lucky to get him back here.” Sherri’s voice barely trembled, but it was an act.

“He’s a hero.” Vax said, holding Shaun’s hand tightly. “And he’s going to be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~I also apologise for the quality at times, this one was hard to make flow properly~~


	30. The Family Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bit of a shorter chapter because i feel bad about lack of updates and bc life and school is crazy
> 
> also, I'm officially 18 now!!!  
> YAY adulthood!!

_“Westruun was hit.”_

_“Same people?”_

_“Same people. They’re calling themselves the Chroma Conclave.”_

_“How many is this?”_

_“Four. They attacked three other cities after Emon, including Westruun.”_

Thunder cracked outside the window and Pike’s eyes opened. It wasn’t a storm, but it was close.

Pike sat up, trying not to disturb Grog  on the mattress next to her. She knew that her friends were currently sleeping on airbeds around their old bedrooms and sharing whatever space they could in the living room downstairs.

Honestly, Grog had his own room next door, but Pike couldn’t begrudge him sharing a room. Not after the day they’d had.

Slowly, Pike slid off the side of the bed and padded towards the door. Grog shifted slightly in his sleep. Pike paused. Her hand barely brushed the door handle.

Grog’s snores filled the air again.

Pike turned the handle and gently closed the door behind her.

The house was so _quiet_. Growing up, the house was quiet sometimes, but not this quiet. And not with so many people in it. Fair enough when it was only the two of them - or, later, the three of them - but there were more people in the house than Pike could ever remember. Seeing them all sitting around their old dining room table had been surreal. Walking down her old streets with them had been just as weird.

Westruun felt like it hadn’t changed in all the years they’d been gone. The streets felt the same, the buildings felt the same, but the air felt different.

It felt dangerous.

The attack hadn’t been as big as the one in Emon. It was mostly in the centre of the city. Apparently, the original four attackers had split themselves up over a few major cities and claimed them.

The one who called himself Thordak had claimed Emon, coordinating attacks every few days and keeping the city on high alert. The Police had been searching tirelessly - they’d barely seen Vax since it had all began, until Kima forced him to rest - but they’d come up empty. So had the city force in Westruun. And everywhere else they had struck.

The moon barely illuminated the kitchen but Pike didn’t need light. This was the home she lived and grew up in. She didn’t need light to make her way around.

She ran her hand over the slight notches in the door frame. Her’s were on the left-hand side of the door frame. Grog’s were on the right. The visual aid to their childhood and teen years. The reminder that they lived here, all those years ago.

Wilhand had kept them, for all this time. He kept that reminder.

Pike smiled as she remembered the look on his face when they showed up at his door. How tightly he’d hugged them both. How he cried when he knew they were safe and with them. She knew he was scared, but no one could fake the relief on his face when he knew his two wards were safe.

She turned to where the kettle was, quietly filling it up and setting it on the stove. Everything was where she remembered it. Nothing had changed in this house. Maybe nothing would.  

“Pike?”

Grog stood in the doorway, crouching slightly to not hit his head. He stepped into the room properly and Pike suddenly felt small in that big room.

“Oh, hi Grog.”

Their voices felt so loud in this quiet house.

One of Grog’s hands rested on an old scar on his forearm. He rubbed the skin like it ached.

“I’m making tea.” Pike said, holding up the half-boiled kettle. “Want some?”

Grog was quiet for a moment, looking out the window.

“Okay.” He said.

“Alright.” She said.

Making the tea was like an old glove. Worn out, a little faded, but still fitting. Small ribbons of steam rose into the cold-ish night air. They sat opposite each other around the old table, the teapot nestled between them.  

Neither of them touched their teacups.

Slowly, Grog laid out an arm on the table, reaching out towards Pike. She placed her hand in his and squeezed.

“ _I know._ ” Pike whispered. “I know, buddy.”

“I don’t like this.” Grog said. He wasn’t looking at her - _couldn’t_ look at her. “I didn’t think they’d be here.”

“I know, Grog. None of us did.”

She didn’t mention the horror she’d felt in her chest when she saw them walking down the street, weapons proudly on display. A very clear threat and warning wrapped into one.

“How?” Grog looked up sharply. “I know they were shitty to me…”

“Grog,” Pike leaned up and placed a warm hand on the side of his face. He closed his eyes. “They don’t matter any more. Those gangs don’t matter any more. What matters is that you’re better off than you ever could be with them.”

Pike tried not to look at the small scars that littered his skin even to this day. She tried not to remember the small, broken boy that they’d taken in and nursed back to health.

“You’re better than your uncle. Forever and always.” Pike promised.

“Pike, what are we going to do? How are we going to fix this place?” Grog looked at her like he did when he was younger. When they both thought that anyone older than them had all the answers in the world and they only really had each other to rely on.

“Any way we can, I guess.”


	31. Duskmeadow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guess what? I'm not dead.
> 
> so uh, lots have happened since i uploaded last. I finished school, got real drunk at my leaver's prom (like, can't remember most of the night drunk), and I passed my driving test  
> also, the lack of dragons in this universe makes me just want to dump a bunch of dragons in just so it feels more epic

“We can’t go.”

“We should, Vax.”

“I don’t _want_ to!”

“You think _I_ do?!”

Percy shifted his legs from the stool he was resting them on and watched Vax as he paced around the room. He quickly glanced over at Keyleth, who was sat in the armchair opposite him. They both had books open on the arm of the chairs and notebooks full of their messy notes. Vex was sat on the other arm of Keyleth’s chair, currently arguing with her brother. She started to bite her nail but Keyleth gently reached up and took Vex’s hand in her own, though her eyes never left the page of her book. Their fingers twined together.

Vax passed by Percy’s chair again and Percy placed his legs back on the stool.

For once, everything was (mostly) peaceful. The rare downtime was something to be enjoyed. Savoured. Hopefully not spend dwelling on everything gone wrong and left to do.

They had all piled into Percy’s old study. Cassie had saved as many of his old books as she had been able to and Percy had wasted no time in restoring the room to its former state. He had repaired the bookshelves, the walls, the carpeting. There was a new desk, a new workbench, a restored fireplace, new windows that overlooked the gardens, an oak table and enough chairs to host his friends. It had taken weeks but Percy restored everything. _Everything_.

The spare rooms, his siblings former bedrooms, Cassie’s new room, the kitchens, the library, the bathrooms. Everything in this Manor had been redone. Stripped down, rebuilt.

Percy knew a little something about only being able to rebuild after being destroyed.

He looked over to the table. Grog and Pike were trying to teach Scanlan some overly complicated card game that they apparently played growing up. Small biscuits from the kitchens downstairs served as the bets they put down between rounds and currently Pike’s stack was the largest on the table.

“What are you two arguing about? I’ve forgotten.” Percy asked, closing his book on his thumb.

“Alright, we’ll let Percival decide.” Vax said, looking from his sister to Percy. “Vex thinks that because of the attacks, we should go check in on Velora but that means seeing our _shit_ of a father.”

There’s a moment of quiet where Vax is looking at Percy expectantly and Percy is giving him a leveled, unimpressed look. That classic de Rolo look that they had all assumed was Percy-specific until they’d seen Cassie stare someone down in an argument.

“Go on, de Rolo. Tell everyone what a bad idea it is.” Vax said.

“I think we should go.” Percy said quietly.

“What?!” Vax had never looked so betrayed. “To the Feywild?!”

“Yes, I think it would be worth it.” Percy said. “Even if we don’t speak to your father, it would be good to ask about the city’s defenses. As far as we know, Syngorn hasn’t been hit with any Conclave attacks. If we’re trying to fortify Whitestone, and when Emon is restored, it might do us good to know how to protect our cities.”

The room fell silent as Vax and Percy waited for the other to look away first.

“Well when you put it like that, it sounds bloody reasonable.” Vax muttered, turning away and beginning to pace again.

“Wait, what’s the Feywild?” Pike asked, half a biscuit in her mouth and a winning hand subtly being shown to Grog.

“It’s the county where Vax and I lived with our father.” Vex said. She was clutching Keyleth’s hand tightly. Keyleth’s thumb started stroking the back of Vex’s hand soothingly.

“It’s called the Feywild?” Grog asked, barely swallowing the biscuit before he spoke. Percy tried to ignore the sheer amount of crumbs by the three of them.

“Only colloquially.” Percy said.

“What? Like people talking out their arse?” Grog bit down on a biscuit with an audible _crunch_.

“...yes.” Percy said without a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“Regardless,” Vex interrupted, “Percy’s right.”

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that for me?” Percy asked, a faint trace of smugness in his voice. “I’m not sure I quite heard you.”

“I misspoke.” Vex said instantly, though the look on her face was teasing. “What I meant was, nothing can _make_ us go see our father, and certainly not _alone_.”

“At the very least,” Scanlan said, placing a card down on the table and picking up two more. He kept his face neutral, except for the very slight crease between his brows, “it’s not like we can’t take him.”

“Scanlan, please don’t threaten our father, he’s a government official. You’ll get us all in trouble.” Vex said.

“Wait, let the man talk.” Vax said.

“What about Whitestone?” Pike asked. “I know Gilmore’s out of hospital, but he still needs rest and care, and we can’t just drag Cassie around.”

“This is our childhood home.” Percy said. “I’m happy for Gilmore to stay here as long as needed. As for Cassie, I trust her to stay here in Whitestone, especially now that Kima and Allura are also staying here.” He spoke democratically, but his tightly clenched fists betrayed him.

He was afraid.

They all were.

Having their friends and allies in Whitestone did, on the one hand, make them all feel more comfortable and made it easier to fall asleep at night knowing the people they cared about where safe and where currently being protected by the city’s armed guard. In that vein, _having_ an armed guard both in the manor and in the streets was both an odd comfort and a subtly threatening. It was nice knowing that threats could be dealt with effectively, it was less nice knowing that the threat was still so grand it warranted a small army.

On the other hand, is something _were_ to happen…

Percy sighed. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. In that moment, his posture deflated and he looked about as tired as they all felt.

“We’ll talk about it in the morning.” Keyleth promised. “We don’t have to make any plans right now.”

“At dawn, we plan.” Grog said, a hint of humour in his voice. Percy nodded and placed his glasses back on.

“We should get some sleep,” Percy said, standing up. No one argued with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this only got written because i thought up the colloquially joke while on holiday and wrote it down feverently


	32. Kids That I Once Knew - Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the Briarwoods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _wooooowwww_ it's been a while, hasn't it? 
> 
> No idea how much more I'll put into this fic, but I still have a few ideas floating around. I'm not ready to write it off, just yet, honestly.

Percy couldn’t help it.

He felt like a complete and utter _failure._

It wasn’t a feeling he entertained often, but when he did, the feeling seeped into every facet of his being and _infected_ him. It was all he could think about. The only thing that mattered.

Percy looked down at the letters in his hand.

 

_I am sorry to inform you that after repeated warnings, Percival de Rolo has been asked not to return this following academic year due to continued poor behaviour._

 

He wanted to destroy something. To break everything he’d ever made. Tear it all down. Build it up from scratch.

Percy’s fist clenched. The letter crumpled.

How was _this_ the final straw? It hadn’t even been his fault! How did it make sense for someone to get in trouble when they were only protecting someone who was getting bullied? That bastard got to stay in school, and Percy was left looking for another school that could take him.

At least the bastard would be going to school with a black eye for a while.

The thought was at least a little comforting to him.

There was a small knock on the door and Percy thought about how easy it would be to hide and pretend he wasn’t in.

“Who is it?” He called out, smartly folding the letter and placing it on his bedside table. Underneath the hardback book he kept there for ‘ _light_ ’ reading before bed.

“ _It’s me. Am I allowed in?_ ”

Percy smiled.

“Come in, Cassie.”

She peered around the door first before stepping inside. Her school uniform hung off her slightly, just a little too big: a promise of a nearby future growth spurt.

Cassandra walked over and pulled herself up onto the bed next to Percy.

“Mother said not to talk about how you got kicked out of school.” Was what Cassandra lead with. Her feet idly swung off the edge of the bed. “Did he deserve it?”

Percy let out a small laugh.

“I certainly think he did.” He admitted. “And _no_ , I’m not going to repeat what he said.”

Cassandra pouted. Just slightly. Then she smiled.

“Does this mean you can spend more time at home?” Cassandra asked brightly.

“I supposed for the time being, yes. At least until we find another school that would take me.” Percy said. He looked down at his hands. Dozens of tiny scars from all the hours spent hunched over bits of metal and wires littered the skin. A few larger ones covered the pads of his fingers from all the accidental slips of stanley knives.

 _Tinker’s hands,_ as his mother had said once, _It means you’ve worked for something_.

“You could always get a private tutor.” Cassandra said. She swiped a spare brushless motor from Percy’s bedside table and began idly spinning it in her hands.

Out of all the de Rolo children, if was always Cassandra and Percy that found themselves in companionable silence. It was always the two of them that would rather work separately but near each other.

It was always the two of them that seemed to gravitate towards each other.

“Besides,” Cassandra said, gently throwing the motor to Percy, “it’s not like you aren’t smart enough to have schools tripping over themselves to take you.”

Percy laughed: soft, disbelieving.

“I’m afraid that getting kicked out for violence always besmirches one’s reputation.” Percy said. He caught the motor. A piece of a work in progress that had yet to be put into action.

“Hey!” Cassandra exclaimed, indignant that her stolen toy had been stolen from her.

“You’re not allowed to play with my projects.” Percy reminded her, but he didn’t have it in him to really be annoyed. His deeper thoughts were too busy wallowing in self-pity.

“What’s it for?” Cassandra asked, reaching out and trying to grab the motor in Percy’s hands. He held it above their heads, far out of her reach. While Cassandra pouted, Percy transferred it to his other hand and continued to hold it out of her reach.  

“I’m not quite sure yet.” Percy admitted. “Something fun, I think.”

“Something cool?” Cassandra asked.

“Something very cool, I think.”

“Like what?”

“Maybe a miniature airship.” Percy said it as a joke, but as soon as he did the idea sounded appealing. It would at least be a nice challenge. Something different from the little automatons he was currently trying to perfect.

“That sounds cool!” Cassandra’s eyes went wide, and her enthusiasm felt infectious. “Can I help?”

“We’ll see.” Percy promised.

“That’s no fun.”

“Neither is hurting yourself playing with tools that you shouldn’t be touching.” Percy didn’t need to remind her of the origins of the thin scar along Cassandra’s right index finger.

He didn’t need to remember how his stomach dropped when he opened the door to his workshop and saw Cassandra with blood running down her hand and tears running down her face. Even if the wound was small, the fact it happened at all had kept him up for a week.

“That was _one_ time.” Cassandra complained, flopping backwards onto Percy’s bed. She narrowly avoided hitting Percy as she threw her arms out to side in her dramatic move.

They both knew she was only playing to try and cheer Percy up. She hated it when one of her siblings was upset, even more so when it was Percy. She hated it because when Percy was upset, he shut himself away and sometimes she wouldn’t see him for days - not even for meals.

Cassandra didn’t like it when Percy was upset.

Suddenly, Cassandra sat up.

“Oh! Vesper and Julius promised me that we can make a cake today.” She said, smiling brightly up at Percy.

“Who do you mean by ‘ _we_ ’?” Percy asked, “Do you, by any chance, mean that I will do the actual baking while you eat the leftover batter and the decorations?”

Cassandra pouted, obviously caught out.

“I’m not allowed to use the oven, Percy. And! And I got some really pretty little chocolate flowers when Vesper picked me up from school!” She said. “If you really don’t want to-”

“I didn’t say that, did I?” Percy said.

He watched as Cassandra’s face lit up and she leapt from the bed. The smile was impossible to hide as she grabbed his hand and began to pull him.

There was no way she could have moved him on her own. Percy let her try for a few seconds before he stood and let himself be dragged from his room, towards the kitchen.

The letter stayed hidden, under the book on his bedside table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~if I did a fic like this with the new campaign characters, would anybody be interested?... Anyone?~~

**Author's Note:**

> hey, I'm [queenmoggy](http://queenmoggy.tumblr.com/) on tumblr if you want to say hi :3
> 
> quick disclaimer: these chapters will mostly just be for fun and stress relief, so I have no upload schedule
> 
> also, because I live in England and I know it better than anywhere else, that's pretty much where I'm basing the setting  
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


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